23/01/2013

Property Tax Could Lead To Rent Increase For Council Tenants

Some 125,000 local authority tenants will face rent increases and councils prepare to pass on the property tax.

The new tax, to be collected on July 1, will be payable on almost all dwelling, including council houses and flats.

All local authorities will have to pay the tax on their housing stock to the Revenue Commissioners, according to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act, which was enacted on December 26.

As councils with larger housing stocks will have larger bills concerns have been raised that dwellings in urban councils will be liable for higher taxes than those in rural areas.

Sinn Féin councillor Mícheál Mac Donncha, chairman of the finance committee is reported as being "very concerned this will lead to rent increases".

Cllr Bríd Smith (People Before Profit), also on the committee, understood there would "absolutely definitely" be rent increases. "The council is broke. Services have been cut to the bone as it is. If, say, the tax per house is put at a pretty modest €100 a year, well that’s a bill of €2.4 million for the council. There will be no option but to pass that on to tenants," reported the Irish Times.

She added: "It exposes any claim that this is a progressive tax as a sham, and any claim that it is a tax to fund local authorities as a sham too."

(H/GK)

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