Galway Bay Fm newsroom-There are signs up outside premises in Ballinasloe with many owners offering to pay the rates to Galway County Council in return for tenants renting their premises.
It is a desperate attempt to rent out their shops and offices as rural towns across the county are still not experiencing any signs of a recovery in the economy.
But a senior official with Galway County Council said that they could not afford to implement a rates reduction which has been a contentious issue with the local authority for several years.
Since the recession there have been claims that rates have been a major cause of businesses closing down. It is still a major issue for local councillors.
But Chief Executive Officer with Galway County Council, Kevin Kelly ruled out the prospect of any rates reduction as he said that the local authority could not afford it.
The demand came from publican Cllr Timmy Broderick who said that there were a lot of small businesses on the verge of closing down. Business owners were even offering the pay rates in order to rent out their properties, he added.
He said that smaller towns and villages were suffering because of punishing rates. It has become a thorny issue for several public representatives.
Cllr Broderick said that it did not make economic sense to have such rates applicable when businesses were closing down.