Business woman wants rates rebate after road works stitched her up

“IT’S NOT the money, it’s the principle.” So says a local business owner who was affected by a four-month road closure outside her premises. Nicola O’Shea is now challenging Carlow County Council in relation to a bill she received for rates, inclusive of the time her business was “effectively closed”.

Nicola operates Nicola’s Embroidery from a workshop at her home on the Hacketstown Road. It was closed last December for a period of four months to facilitate essential works by Uisce Éireann.

Nicola told The Nationalist that from January to March, while the works were underway, she saw just three physical customers, which had a huge adverse impact on her income. She expressed her dismay at being billed for the time she was unable to operate.

“I’m opposed to having to pay rates in the first place. My workshop is at my home. I don’t get anything from the council – no lights, no paths, no electricity, nothing. I’m giving the council money for my own property. I’m paying them for absolutely nothing. They closed me for three months and they still want me to pay for those three months,” she said.

“I got the rates bill from them. I put it back in the post with a note attached to say that my business was closed and to contact the senior engineer to verify that Carlow County Council closed my business due to the licence that was granted to Irish Water for works on the road and that I was looking for a reduction on the rates. I didn’t even look for a reduction for the four months because I was trading in the town for the first month, at my Christmas pop-up shop in Carlow Shopping Centre, where I also pay rates.

“I got a letter back to say it had been noted. On Monday, I received a letter from the council, which read: ‘I refer to the letter received in relation to rates demand issues and note your comments therein. I wish to advise that Carlow County Council are not in a position to reduce the amount invoiced in the rate demand’.

“I mean, if the council aren’t in a position to reduce their own rates, then who the hell is?” she asked.

Nicola feels that rates are “closing a lot of small operators down. I’m a small business; I’m only a little cottage industry. I’ve been in business since 2003 and I have never received one cent from Carlow County Council or Carlow Enterprise Board towards my business, I’ve done it all myself, every single shilling. I’ll put up with paying the rates if I must. It’s not the money, it’s the principle,” she said.

Carlow County Council was contacted for comment.