‘COME CLEAN ON PROPERTY TAX RISES’
Fianna Fail’s call to government
FIANNA Fail has accused the Government of “playing games” over property tax, which is to be reviewed for the first time this year.
The party’s housing spokesman Darragh O’brien called on Fine Gael to be up front about possible increases.
Local Property Tax is based on the market value of a house, but the rapid rise in prices has sparked concern about the hikes homeowners will have to pay.
LPT was frozen in 2015 until 2019 and a review of the system is now under way, with the Government due to report in the first quarter of this year.
But Mr O’brien said it “should have been published already”. He added: “People are unsure where they stand – both local authorities and homeowners.
“I get a sense they are trying to time this in advance of a local and European election to say, ‘Aren’t we great? We’re not increasing the property tax’. People see through these games. It’s more of the spin and substance piece.
“Publish the report, let the Dail debate it and let’s move on and get certainty around the LPT.”
Fianna Fail finance spokesman Michael Mcgrath said: “We have the spectre at the moment of Government ministers publicly calling for changes they themselves are responsible for bringing about.
“We’re seeing Shane Ross saying one thing, Josepha Madigan saying another.
“The Government need to be coherent on this issue and agree on a collective position, we’re just seeing games at the minute.”
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has said any changes will be “affordable and predictable”.
He added no one will have to pay this year, with the first bill due early in 2020.
Mr Donohoe said: “The intention is not to increase the yield from the Local Property Tax, so we will have to make changes in the band and in the rate so people see no increase, or perhaps a modest increase or decrease, in 2020.”