No rates increase for Co. Cavan businesses

The new year brought good news for the business community in Co. Cavan as Cavan County Council agreed to freeze the commercial rates for a further 12 months. This is the second consecutive year during which there has been no rates increase in the county. County Manager Jack Keyes, in the presenting the budget to members for adoption, emphasised that the rate of 56.85 in the euro applicable in Cavan, is the seventh lowest commercial rate of any county in Ireland. The programme for expenditure in 2010 is over €65.5 million - a reduction of €5 million or 7.3% on the 2009 budget. Approved government grants to the local authority for 2010, to date, amount to €41.6 million, while Cavan County Council expects to generate almost €24 million from its own resources. A full report on the 2010 budget meeting, reaction from elected representatives and more detailed breakdowns of expenditure programmes in the areas of roads, housing, water etc will feature in next week's edition of The Anglo-Celt.