“Most homeowners in South Dublin face a 15% increase in their property tax bill next year, while some will face even steeper increases” following a combination of factors according to People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy, who criticised South Dublin County Councillors' decision yesterday “to halve the discretionary reduction from 15% in previous years to only 7.5% next year”.
The Dublin South West TD also expressed concern that those whose houses increased in value enough to put them into a higher band face even steeper increases. “Those with small homes that have increased in value will see their bills almost triple, hitting hardest those already struggling with the cost of living crisis”.
At last night’s Council meeting, the proposal by Cllr Mick Duff to reduce the tax by only 7.5% and to lock that in for the next four years was passed with support from Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, Labour and most Independents. “They can try to spin this however they want, but the truth will be there in black and white when people get their property tax bills and notice the 15% increases. The Council had the opportunity to protect residents from much of the increase being pushed by the central Government, but they failed to do that, and voters won’t forget it.”
Several changes to the property tax are due to kick in next year, including increases in the base charge and expansion of the valuation bands. Together with the reduction in the discretionary budget variation, this means that the actual LPT paid by residents in SDCC will increase by 15% for most homeowners.
For example, for those in valuation band 3 who were paid €268 in LPT last year, they will face a charge of €308 next year, an increase of €40 or 15%.
There will be bigger increases for those who move from one valuation band to another, with those who move from the lowest band to the second lowest band facing a 184% increase. For instance, a householder whose home was valued at €200,000 in 2021, but increased in value to €250,000 this year, will see their annual LPT bill almost triple from €77 to €217.
People Before Profit Councillor Jess Spear highlighted that proposals from them for alternative ways of raising funding for the council “have consistently been rejected by the Council ruling group”.
“Every year, we propose to increase taxes on the biggest business in the County, while protecting small businesses through a rate and rebate scheme, but they reject that. It seems the priority of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour and some Independents is to protect big business, not ordinary workers.”
Fellow Councillor Kay Keane raised concerns that these increases could further impoverish people already struggling to cope. “In my community in Jobstown and across Tallaght South we have huge amounts of people living on the poverty line, and this increase will add insult to injury. Many of these are homeowners, including those who bought their house from the Council over the years, but they are also struggling to pay the bills and buy groceries. You’d expect the Council to be trying to help, not adding to the problem.”