Rural pubs are in meltdown, with new information released exclusively to Fine Gael Mayo Deputy John O’Mahony showing that almost 300 pubs a year are closing down, with 54 pubs closed in the last three years in Mayo.
Deputy O’Mahony pressed the Department of Finance on the issue, receiving information that shows that, across the country, 833 pub licences were not renewed in the period 2007 to 2009.
“Rural pubs offer opportunities for social contact that are not easily found elsewhere and each pub closure is a blow to the community it serves,” the Fine Gael deputy said. “I believe that buses that are run by rural pubs should be exempt from VRT. These buses have proved a huge boon for those pubs that can afford to run them and, by tweaking the tax system to reduce costs for each pub, the Exchequer will see an increase in VAT receipts and rural dwellers can get to and from the pub.”
