Fine Gael City Council Group works to continue 15% Property Tax reduction
Fine Gael Dublin City Councillors are setting down a motion at this evening’s Council meeting to seek a 15% reduction in Local Property Tax for house owners in Dublin City for the year 2016. This follows a similar reduction which was agreed for the year 2015. The motion, tabled by Fine Gael Councillor Noel Rock, is calling for the 15% reduction in Local Property Tax, to reaffirm the 15% reduction which took place in 2015. The Chief Executive of the City Council, Owen Keegan, is recommending that this 15% reduction be rescinded – a stance which Fine Gael disagree with.
Speaking on the matter, Dublin North West General Election candidate, Councillor Rock,said: “House owners in Dublin City are already paying a Local Property Tax which I would consider to be excessive. Last year, I wrote to Minister Noonan seeking a freeze of revaluation of houses for the purpose of the Local Property Tax until 2017 at the earliest, and I am glad that this has been the path he has taken: it is important for households, much like Government’s, to have certainty about their finances next week, next month and next year. As such, I am glad to support the continuation of the 15% reduction which the Fine Gael group proposed in 2015, and which we are glad to propose again this year.
“I believe that Councillors should have the power to vary this Local Property Tax by more than 15%. However, for now, this is the maximum reduction which we can pass onto Dubliners, and I believe it is only right that we pass this reduction on again for 2016,” Councillor Rock continued.
“This reduction will see a house valued at €325,000 save a little over €85 per year, while a house valued at €605,000 will see a saving of around €175. Against the backdrop of an economic recovery, I think it’s vital that we make sure people in Dublin have money in their pockets, and this motion intends to do just that,” he concluded.