Councils forced to write off €500m in rates

Local authorities across the country have been forced to write off at least €500m in commercial rates over the course of the recession as businesses collapse under the weight of their debts.

Figures released by the Department of the Environment and Local Government Minister Phil Hogan show that between 2006-2011 alone, councils wrote off almost €430m.

Dublin City Council was forced to discount more than €71m of the total commercial rates it was entitled to over those years, while Cork County Council missed out on €32m.