Dublin City restaraunt owners slam city council for issuing high charges to keep outdoor tables – TheLiberal.ie – Our News, Your Views

Dublin City restaraunt owners slam city council for issuing high charges to keep outdoor tables




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Restaraunt owners in Dublin City have voiced their disapproval at the City Council for issuing extremely high charges to keep outdoor tables in the capital calling it a “sunshine tax.”

According to recent Figures released by the Restaurant Association of Ireland, it is believed that the city council netted an astonishing €450,000 in outdoor seating charges last year.
However Adrian Cumnmins the head of the RAI, claims that it only costs the council €150,000 to implement the scheme for the whole year, which means that the council make a €300,000 in profit. Mr Cumnmins said: “These fees are applied based on the number of tables on a public footpath outside a premises plus an annual licence fee. This is a double taxation measure”. Mr Cumnmins says the charges are unjust as restaurants in the city are already paying €16,000 in business rates.

Mr Cummins has called on the council to reduce the charges saying: “We want a reduction in this extortionate tax on our industry and to stop the profit making by Dublin City Council on the backs of struggling business. “We want to see this reformed, we want to see it on a cost neutral basis and we want the reduction in line with what it costs to administer the scheme. “We’d want to see at least a 70% reduction on this with immediate effect.”

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