Kill horsetrainer Ted Walsh lambasts rates hike

Kill-based horseracing pundit Ted Walsh has heavily criticised the way rates increases will hit local racehorse trainers.

Walsh, who is a well known television racing analyst and was top amateur jockey in Ireland eleven times, has criticised the increase in rateable valuations as “totally ridiculous".

Planned increases have also attracted criticism from the wider business community.

Mr Walsh said the increased bills for trainers arise because  training yards have been moved to the leisure sector from the agricultural sector for valuation purposes.

He told Tony O’Hehir of the Racing Post that yards are already operating at well below capacity.

There are more horse trainers based in Co. Kildare than any other county in Ireland.

“Trainers aren’t in the leisure business and why the change has been made beggars belief. I’m just one of many trainers who can’t understand what Kildare County Council has done. It’s not that most trainers won’t pay, it’s simply that they’re not in a position to,” added Mr. Walsh.

According to the RP report one trainer’s rates will rise from €2,000 to €27,000 and in Mr. Walsh’s case his bill will be €14,700 in 2017, compared with €1,000 currently.

READ MORE: Kildare businesses furious over rate hikes