Large majority of Tipperary councillors approve 5.5% hike in commercial rates for next year

A large majority of Tipperary County Council's elected members have voted to adopt the Council's €248.8m budget for next year including a 5.5% hike in commercial rates levied on businesses. 

The Council's 2025 Budget including this increase in commercial rates but with the upper limit for qualifying for inclusion in the Council's Commercial Rates Early Payment Rebate Scheme to be increased to €27,500 was passed by 27 votes to 8 at the Council's annual Budget Meeting in Clonmel last Friday.

After nearly four hours of debate and queries about the Budget, a proposal tabled by Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy and seconded by Fianna Fáil Cllr Michael Smith to adopt the Budget with the 5.5% rates increase and increase in the qualifying limit for the Early Payment Rebate Scheme was supported by the Council's Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and some Independent councillors.

The eight councillors who voted against the proposal were Sinn Féin Cllrs Annemarie Ryan and David Dunne, Workers & Unemployment Action Group Cllr Pat English and Independents Niall Dennehy, Máirín McGrath, Richie Molloy, John O'Heney and Jim Ryan.

Tipperary County Council's commerical rates Annual Rate on Valuation (ARV) will now rise to 0.2126 next year.

Council management had originally proposed a 6% increase in commercial rates in the draft Budget.

A full report on the Council's annual Budget Meeting will be published in The Nationalist on Wednesday .