Vote NO to Dublin Town BID (Business Improvement District), it is not fit for purpose and an unnecessary tax on businesses. It's had 15 years to prove itself as the great investment they promised us, but it but has failed demonstrate this so not worth throwing good money after bad.
10 REASONS TO VOTE NO
1) You are being double taxed. You already pay over €300 million in rates to DCC, money which should be used for the proper maintenance, management and promotion of the city.
2) Despite the BID spending tens of thousands of your money on debt collection, fewer than 1/3 have paid the levies in 2020 and 2021 - why should you?
3) The BID collected €1.5 million in 2020. Almost half of this was spent on salaries, as well as a huge sum on self-promotion. The BID levy represents very bad value for your money.
4) The BID is guilty of a lack of transparency. Little or no detail is provided on how your money is spent or who pays them sponsorship and why?
5) You should not be forced to pay a levy which ends up in the pockets of a private company.
6) During the counting of votes in the 2017 plebiscite, the returning officer admitted to having opened the ballot box before the count. We are taking steps to make sure that this year's vote cannot be rigged.
7) Since the BID has been in existence footfall in the city has fallen. Where does the money go? Just take a look at the state of the city centre! Business in the city has declined and so many shops have closed while suburban shopping centres are thriving and expanding.
8) The BID has a deficit of €200,000 for 2020 and arrears of €3.9 million. Do you want to make up the shortfall?
9) The BID plans to treble some of their budgets. They are already in deficit, do they expect you to pay even more?
10) Most small businesses receive no beneit but are still forced to contribute to their coffers. DCC & big landlords control the BID board, with their own interests in mind.
Dublin Town BID make excuses not to clean some areas and levy payers resort to showing them how to do it! What on earth are the BID spending millions on?
So dozens of towns with NO BID are doing better than Dublin with a BID for ‘extra cleaning’? What are we wasting our money on!
