Property tax vote ‘rushed’ at Waterford council meeting

A reluctant vote regarding rates of Local Property Tax (LPT) was held at the Waterford City and County Council Plenary meeting last week.

Tensions were high during the vote as the council were hard-pressed for time, with many councillors expressing annoyance about not being able to share their views on the matter.

Prior to the vote, chief executive Michael Walsh recommended an increase in the Local Property Tax for Waterford for the year 2022 with consideration to the environment created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I believe we have to sustain our income, particularly in the current year. We genuinely don’t know where we will be next year,” Mr Quinn said. “I would be asking council to, at the minimum, retain the current year charges in this area and indeed I would recommend an increase of 15%,” Mr Quinn said.

Mr Quinn expressed a need to protect public service and keep them stable, and stated that in the current environment, ‘not to do so would be reckless’.

‘BLUNT INSTRUMENT’

Opening comments from councillors David Daniels and Pat Fitzgerald rejected an increase, with Cllr Fitzgerald stating that council members were being asked to ‘vote in the dark’ as they did not yet know how the revaluation of LPT would effect home owners.

Cllr Fitzgerald described the LPT as a ‘blunt instrument’ that homeowners are hit with and proposed a 10% decrease in the tax, to bring it back to its base rate. Dungarvan Lismore District councillor, Conor McGuinness, seconded Councillor Fitzgerald’s proposal.

“Taxing the family home, the primary or only dwelling is very, very unfair. It’s not a sustainable or progressive way to fund local government,” Cllr McGuinness added.

Several councillors also spoke in regard the revaluation of the LPT with the understanding that it would possibly take into account the number of sheds, extensions and gardens on a property.

Payment deferrals were also raised as a concern, as was the increased cost of living which homeowners are also having to deal with.

Councillor Liam Brazil proposed that the property tax be held at the same rate as the previous year, which was seconded by Councillor Jason Murphy.

Cllr Murphy said the decision was a ‘question of balance and fairness’. “We have to protect local services and that’s our duty as councillors. While I couldn’t stand over a further increase of 15%, I believe any reduction at this time, as the chief executive said, is frankly reckless and irresponsible,” Mr Murphy said.

Dungarvan Lismore District councillor, Damien Geoghegan, said that he believed maintaining the current rate of LPT is the ‘sensible thing to do’.

MAJORITY VOTE ‘FOR’

Several councillors were denied the opportunity to speak on the topic due to the rushed nature of the meeting, which ran over time, with many expressing their distaste for how the topic was pushed through.

Local councillor, John Pratt, said that he was unhappy with not being given a chance to speak.

A roll call vote was taken on whether councillors were for or against the LPT staying the same as the previous year. 21 councillors indicated that they were for the increase and ten voted against.