No change to Property Tax
THERE will be no change to the Local Property Tax in Sligo this year.
It’s despite a motion from Councillor Declan Bree calling on the Council to reduce the controversial tax by 15 per cent.
Cllr Bree was holding true to his 2014 local election pledge to vote to reduce the tax if elected.
“The Property Tax on the family home, like other charges has been used by central government to pay off the debts of the speculators, developers and the bankers. This tax is unfair and unjust,” he told this month’s County Council meeting.
He said former Taoiseach Enda Kenny once likened it to a “vampire tax” yet imposed it when in power.
“While Fine Gael said that the income from the Property Tax was to be used to improve Council services, everyone in this Chamber and everyone in this community knows that the Council services have been reduced and cut back in the period since the tax was imposed,” said Cllr Bree.
Councillor Hubert Keaney opposed his motion, claiming he lived “in the real world.”
“I would love to reduce it by 15 per cent but that would be ¤800,000 to fund local services. We’re struggling as it is so how in God’s name are we going to with that loss?” he said. “They (left-wing councillors) don’t have any idea or any clue as to how we’re going to get the funding. What services are we going to cut?” he said.
Cllr Keaney said ten other Local Authorities in the country had actually increased the Local Property Tax, “supported by Fianna Fáil members, Councils with far greater resources than we have - Galway, Clare and Limerick County Councils.”
He said a suggestion earlier this year of his to increase the LPT would have brought ¤5million for job creation and tourism spending in Sligo.
Cllr Tom MacSharry said it was fair that Cllr Bree was sticking to his election commitment. “Fianna Fáil gave a commitment we wouldn’t increase the LPT and we’ve stuck to that,” he added.
He said that reducing the tax by 15 per cent would however, mean “closing the Hawk’s Well - we couldn’t do it.”
Cllr Joe Queenan proposed leaving the LPT in Sligo as it.
Cllr Bree said the Government should be going after companies like Apple: “The money is there.”
Council Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes said reducing the LPT would make the Financial Plan “unviable.” Councillors voted not to make any variation on the LPT from 1st November.