THE NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLDS which have now registered for the government’s new €100 household charge has passed 250,000.
Figures compiled by the Local Government Management Agency showed that as of 5pm yesterday, 251,458 properties had registered for the €100 fee, with 80 per cent of those registrations made online.
The figure shows, however, that less than a sixth of the homes which are liable for the fee have paid up so far – with just two weeks to go until the deadline for registrations.
The government estimates that around 1.6 million Irish homes are liable for the charge, which is intended as a precursor to full water metering and property charges in the coming years.
Earlier this week the High Court granted leave to a man from Raheny who is challenging the household charge because the Act and Statutory Instrument under which it is charged had not been translated into Irish.
The Department of the Environment, in a statement yesterday evening, insisted that the Act was still valid and that people were “legally obliged to register and pay thehousehold charge by 31st March”.
The deadline date will not be extended,” it added, explaining that the act had since been translated and would be printed and published by the end of the week.
There is a legal requirement for Acts passed by the Oireachtas to be translated as soon as possible, with responsibility for the translation of Acts lying with the Oireachtas translation unit.
“Previous experience would indicate that many people will pay at the last minute, and we are confident that the Irish people being law-abiding citizens will register and pay the charge,” the Department said.
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