Dublin City council is facing a call for commercial rates to be waived for Dublin city restaurants, as many venues have closed recently.
The council also faces a call for separating the treatment of hotel bedrooms from the sale of food in restaurants, and reintroducing the 9% VAT rate for the sector.
An emergency motion addressing relief for the restaurant sector will be discussed at Dublin City Council’s monthly meeting next month.
Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said “the good news is that, in recent weeks, Ministers, TDs, MEPs and Councillors have all publicly recognised the crisis our industry currently faces and the need for action to be taken. The bad news is that, so far, despite positive signals from the Taoiseach and Enterprise Ministers, no action has been taken yet to stem the tide of closures and secure a viable future for our industry, above all by reintroducing the 9pc VAT rate for food-led businesses.
As things stand, each and every day, several small, independent restaurants and cafés are closing their doors for good, including in the nation’s capital.”
