Fingal County Council cuts local property tax by 15 per cent

Fingal County Council has become the last of the four Dublin local authorities to cut local property tax by 15 per cent next year.

Councillors voted by 31-8 for the cut despite a plea from council chief executive Paul Reid to restrict the cut to 3 per cent a year over the next five years.

“We are managing quite a serious housing and homelessness situation across the four Dublin local authorities and particularly in Fingal,” he said, and the council did not yet know how much Government funding it would get next year to address the homeless issue.

Mayor Mags Murray (FF) warned that implementing the full 15 per cent “dilutes the argument” of councillors who claimed they were elected to improve services for their communities.

However, her party colleague David McGuinness said due to high rates of negative equity homeowners were “locked into paying tax on something they cannot dispose of”.

People Before Profit’s Barry Martin said it was “morally reprehensible to equate cutting property tax to cutting services for homelessness”.

Brian McDonagh (Lab) said those benefiting most from the cut had the most expensive houses, and proposed a 10 per cent cut.

The amount of tax a householder pays is based on the price of the home in May 2013.

That valuation remains fixed until the end of October 2016 even if house prices have risen in the meantime.

The other three Dublin authorities, Dublin City Council, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin, agreed on Monday to implement the full 15 per cent cut.

Councillors in all 31 local authorities across the State can vary local property tax by up to 15 per cent next year, and have until September 30th to tell Revenue their decision.

Six local authorities have yet to set a date to vote on the issue. Nine councils have gone for no change, three will hold meetings on Friday, and two more on Monday.

Longford, Westmeath and Mayo have gone for a 3 per cent cut, Kildare a 7.5 per cent cut and Cork County Council are cutting by 10 per cent.