Call for tax reliefs for Mayo's local independent retailers

A Mayo TD has highlighted the need for the government to be proactive around how it supports local independent retailers.

Deputy Dara Calleary elaborated: "We cannot put up the white flag in the face of online trading.

"We need to take measures such as taxation measures, investment measures and rates support measures to give local traders the upper hand.

'The notion of state aid rules meaning we do not defend independent local and rural traders from the might of the major multinationals is wrong.

"That is not what state aid rules were for. Let us proactively support our town centres by proactively supporting town centre retailers, proactively supporting town centre democracy and proactively supporting town centre transport, but not at the cost of communities that make the town centre the healthy place it needs to be."

The Ballina-based representative said there is a continuing need for ongoing infrastructural investment.

He explained: "To get people to our town centres, we need proper public transport.

"Things like active travel are working. For towns like Claremorris, Ballina and Sligo, it would be wonderful if we had rail connections to get people to them along the western rail corridor.

"We need a proper bus service and a proper public transport service to keep populations moving between towns and within towns.

"Within our small towns around the country, we encourage living and we are encouraging people to come back into them, but we are not providing public transport that is suitable to towns.

"We have transport in our cities but in our towns there needs to be a far more proactive local transport policy so people do not need a car to get in and out of local towns and local shopping centres."