BRUI was founded primarily to tackle the crippling and extortionate business rates. The said rates were extortionate in the Celtic tiger era, but now after almost seven years into the financial meltdown, rates collectors are operating with a heavy hand and most businesses cannot afford the said unfair rates. The constant threats from the rate collectors of court action and sheriffs are akin to thuggery. We are aware of business raped by the merry band of sheriffs, where they have entered business premises and removed stock in lieu of rate payments, effectively putting the business person out of business. How is this fair or good for the country. A huge number of the business community are depressed and suicidal and many feel they have no where to turn. For some it is too late and have paid the ultimate price by taking their own lives.

Remember the people in power have created this mess, they have taken our stock, our money and in some cases our lives, but  we will not allow this continue. By their actions they now take away our ability to work our way out of the mess they created. Rates were introduced to help the poor, we are the new poor. They were not introduced to have over paid local government officials living lavish lifestyles. Remember we the business community are the unpaid TAX collectors of this government and this is how they treat us, well no more. This country is destroyed by the people we once looked up to, the church has destroyed faith, the legal fraternity has destroyed justice, the bankers have destroyed the financial system and our Government has destroyed trust.

Our aim is to create a forum for Business, Retail and The Self Employed where their concerns can be heard and acted upon.

Develop and help fund Business Communities at local level which will in turn create jobs.

Represent our members at County Council and Government level where at the moment we feel we have no representation.

Create a culture where job creation is rewarded not penalised and if the powers that be refuse to listen to our concerns then we will call a rates strike and a VAT collection strike and they will listen then, because that action will hit them where it hurts in their silk lined pockets.

We have come to the conclusion that the way forward is to chart our own destiny:

1. We intend to form working groups to explore ways through membership and monthly contributions to help existing businesses and start ups. This will sustain existing jobs and create new ones.
2. To utilise funding efficiently we have to remove all the obstacles that at the moment have a detrimental effect on our livelihoods, otherwise all funding will be wasted.
3. Commercial Rates. This unfair penal and probably unconstitutional form of taxation levied solely on our members has got to be abolished. It has no bearing on turn- over profit or ability to pay. It is a form of taxation supposedly for services but in fact is used to fund a culture of waste including salaries in come cases higher than that of the American president. No economy can afford the waste and lack of accountability tolerated in our councils. This situation is being allowed to continue while we watch the sheriff enter businesses and remove stock and fittings on foot of a rate bill. This practice has decimated every town in Ireland and has got to be stopped.
4. Paid parking outside shops while free parking is available at the larger retail stores on the outskirts of our towns and cities is creating an unfair advantage and has got to be addressed.
5. Upward only rents are no longer sustainable and need to be brought into line with the present state of our economy.
6. The present payment system regarding our members in the service sector is being abused due to a complete lack of regulation. This has lead to our members being used as banks and is having a serious knock on effect on efficiency and ability to take on other works. This in turn has a knock on effect on all other sectors of business. This as a group we will no longer tolerate and will request immediate action by government.

 

Business people all over Ireland need to unite and realise that we need representation otherwise we will be closed down one by one. If we take a look at the lack of Business people in the Dail we soon realise why we are under attack the way we are. Together we can create a better future for our families, our workers and make life more tolerable for ourselves.

As a group member you will no longer feel alone and there will always be somebody there to help.