Chamber of Commerce sings praises of capital as leading European city

DUBLIN’S success in generating almost 200,000 jobs in the last decade and becoming one of Europe’s leading cities for living and in which to do business should be celebrated, according to Dublin Chamber president David Pierce.

Addressing the chamber’s annual dinner he acknowledged the need for continued infrastructural development, but urged critics of Dublin to look at the facts:

192,000 jobs were created in the Greater Dublin Area between 1996 and 2002.

Dublin is consistently voted one of the European cities with the best quality of life, ahead of Paris, London, Rome and Madrid.

Major pieces of new infrastructure such as the two Luas lines and Dublin Port Tunnel are either open or almost completed.

“Dublin is one of the premier cities to do business in and to live in. There is little justification for all the negativity about Dublin. While many people perceive Dublin as the most expensive city in Europe, the reality is different. Prices have risen by 23% since 1998, but wages have increased by 37% in the same period,” he said. “Great companies need a strong leader with a budget. ‘Dublin Inc.’ needs an elected mayor with serious responsibilities and budget to ensure we remain at the top of the premier league of capital cities.

“Commercial rates have risen at double the rate of inflation over the last decade. This continued dependence on business to fill the gap between the Government’s local authorities’ grant and the real cost of running our city is a threat to our international competitiveness.

“It is common sense that the funding burden should be spread more evenly among those who avail of the services provided by the council. Also, the lack of transparency in the way the revenue from commercial rates is used by Dublin City Council simply must be addressed,” he said.

This year marks AIB’s third successive year sponsoring the Dublin Chamber’s Annual Gala Dinner.