Fairness needed in commercial sector

‘What are we going to do about the rates? Businesses are closing.’

This front page headline (Irish Examiner, Nov 29), covered a Cork District Court report, by Liam Heylin, where Judge Olann Kelleher criticised the high commercial rates policy of Cork City Council, at a time when hundreds of businesses face prosecution in the run-up to Christmas.

I concur with the remarks of Judge Kelleher. The problem, however, does not alone apply to Cork City Council, but to other local authorities throughout the country, including some greedy landlords.