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Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan claims that homeowners in her constituency of South County Dublin are being disproportionately hit by property tax charges in comparison with those living in rural regions like Roscommon.
We asked Josepha Madigan to debate the fairness of property tax rates with rural Fianna Fáil TD, Eugene Murphy.
YES. High and rapidly increasing house prices have meant that Dublin homeowners shoulder a disproportionate and unfair proportion of the local property tax bill. This issue is currently ameliorated by the government decision to freeze property valuations for property tax purposes at 2013 levels.
However, rates are due to be recalculated in November 2019 and many, particularly in my constituency of Dublin Rathdown, could face significantly increased tax rates unless action is taken. I raised the local property tax during my maiden speech in the Dáil in April 2016. It is a major issue affecting homeowners in my constituency where incomes have not been able to keep pace with significant increases in property values.
The burden of the local property tax is already causing difficulty for many families, particularly those on fixed incomes, ie pensions. If the tax rates rise in 2019 under the current system, incorporating average South County Dublin property price increases of circa 60%, the average south Dublin homeowner would face an increase in their property tax bill from €585 to €945. This would be an unfair, punitive tax increase for homeowners and must be avoided.
It was very positive to hear from an Taoiseach Leo Varadkar that he does not want to see any sudden dramatic hike in property taxes. The local property tax plays an important role in funding vital local services from housing to maintaining graveyards. It facilitates an independent revenue stream for local government. But it is essential that the local property tax burden is not concentrated too heavily on those who happen to live in areas with high and increasing property values.
Unfairly concentrated on homeowners in areas like Dublin Rathdown where house prices are high
One proposal to alleviate the local property tax burden would be to allow local governments more freedom to adjust the local property tax rate as it applies in their localities. At present, local councils can vote to decrease (or increase) local property tax rates by up to 15% in their areas. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council voted to continue its 15% reduction reflecting our local circumstances while other councils voted for an increase reflecting their different circumstances, ie a 5% increase in Kerry.
Expanding the local adjustment factor beyond 15% would allow local property rates to better reflect the unique needs of their local areas. In areas with high property values, further reductions can be applied to reduce the tax burden while allowing the scope to raise extra revenue through local property taxation where appropriate in other council areas.
The local property tax burden is unfairly concentrated on homeowners in areas like Dublin Rathdown where house prices are high and rising fast. I hope to see this issue addressed in upcoming budgets to avoid any major tax hikes and to ensure a fairer, more equitable tax distribution.
Josepha Madigan is a Fine Gael TD for Dublin Rathdown.
NO. I believe it is disingenuous to try to make comparisons between property rates in South Dublin and rural County Roscommon. Deputy Josepha Madigan previously singled out the Roscommon constituency as an area that is not facing the same sort of pressures as her constituency of Dublin-Rathdown but her comments are somewhat disingenuous as you are not comparing like with like.
While I do acknowledge that people in Dublin have to pay high levels of property tax the simple fact is life is rural County Roscommon is very different to South County Dublin.
We don’t have the same level of services, infrastructure or public transport—we don’t have the Luas, the same level of bus and rail services and we are much more dependent on our own transport which means we are subject to additional costs of running a car and paying exorbitant motor insurance premiums.
You’re not comparing like with like
We also do not have the same level of job creation or investment and unfortunately we are not seeing the same green shoots of recovery that Dublin is experiencing so I don’t believe it’s fair that people in rural counties like Roscommon should have to pay the same property tax as Dublin as you are simply not comparing like with like.
A breakdown of 2015 IDA figures shows the FDI jobs are not being fairly spread across the country. Last September my party tabled a parliamentary question which showed that county by county data of the 187,056 people employed in IDA supported companies in 2015. Shockingly 18 counties or nearly 70% of the State accounted for less than 2% of total jobs. There were only 936 IDA jobs in County Roscommon in 2015 which only accounts for 0.5% of the overall figure.
We also have appalling broadband connectivity in County Roscommon with the county being ranked as the lowest (36%) with the number of premises served by the commercial sector as over 60% fall within the national broadband plan intervention area.
Businesses throughout Roscommon, Longford and Leitrim are also being subjected to crippling rates which is another nail in the coffin of trying to do business in rural Ireland.
Eugene Murphy is a Fianna Fáil TD for Roscommon-Galway.
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Any chance of some balanced journalism and report on the siege by Turkey and its head hacking allies in Afrin?
Indiscriminate bombing? Check
Civilians being massacred? Check
Lots of kids being blown to bits? Check
Maybe it’s too real and the status quo is afraid Call it for what it is, 100 years since the Greek and Armenian genocide, the Turkish establishment haven’t lost their Mongol slaying instincts
@Chicinho Hear Hear!!! But balanced journalism doesnt fit the US led Neoliberal western agenda..
@Nigel O’Neill: It’s actually a Neo-con agenda being delivered by neo- lib reporters who are owned by Neo- cons. You couldn’t make it up.
@Chicinho: The lack of media coverage of what’s going on in Afrin is disgraceful. It’s been under bombardment for weeks now, and has had no water for over a week since Turkey shut of supply from a nearby dam and treatment plant. All we hear in MSM is Turkey’s version of events. And it’s not like the US are nowhere to be seen as their allies are slaughtered. They are actually watching from a few Km’s away and not lifting a finger to intervene. Disgusting.
@Chicinho: Not to mention Zionist Israel getting the US to fight a proxy regime change war to install a puppet president. The UN previously recognized Assad’s Syria until Israel and the US decided he should go. Putin is no saint but I’m glad he stuck in there because otherwise they would have establish anew front in Iran and that would not be nice for anyone.
@JimmyMc:
Don’t forget Fake News RTE.
Goal are really taking sides in this complex 6 year civil war….Seeing things from the Sunni Jahadi side…..Many of the 400000 civilians in Ghouta don’t support the Sunni Jahadi and wish they would take up the offer from Syrian army to surrender and safe passage to another rebel held area to fight on…..Saudi Arabia and Qatar have armed and trained many of these rebels in Saudi proxy war against Iran…..Whatever about been democratic moderate rebels at start of conflict as John Kerry and Joe Biden called them….For many years they are Sunni Jahadi similiar to IS…..Very wrong of Goal to support them…
@John003: well said
@Jamie Thornton: ‘Sunni jihadists similar to IS’. and backed by the US of course. why can’t journalists report it like it is? because they are owned by corporate greed who have no concept of people suffering.
The official policy of the west – ‘Regime change’ for Syria has been stymied by Russian military intervention. This policy of Regime change, has involved Britain, the Us and and their allies arming and promoting ‘ moderate rebels’ to destabilize the Syrian Government and destroy the country and it’s people. These moderate rebels are terrorists. The west, for all it’s talk of freedom and Liberty and morality, has descended into a pit of double standards, lies and murder. Everyone who has backed the west’s narrative is also in this pit of blood and shares responsibility – this includes the media here in Ireland and around the world esp. state propaganda outlets like RTE and the BBC.
It is no wonder there is huge anti Russian sentiment at the moment as they have ruined the complete destruction of Syria for western and Israeli geopolitical goals.
@raymond grehan: This is not in interest of Israel ….Obama administration did train and arm the rebels in early days of conflict….It was in Jordan not Israel….This Syrian civil war has been a disaster for Israel …. Iran’s proxy army are now on their border with Syria as well as in Lebonan….Israel are close to the Druse in Syria who support Assad….Jews are not stupid supporting a Sunni Jahadi takeover of Syria with one of the main groups Al Nusra in charge would be disaster for Isreal….One of the few things Sunni and Shia agree on is destruction of Israel….Only group Israel support are the Kurds in Northern Syria….
@raymond grehan: well said
@Raymond well said and to add also that this is in Black n white, its not a conspiracy theory. Go check out the white paper named ‘Project for the new American Century’..it tells you all you need.
Sounds like another Whitehelmet story.
work is going well to cleans the Islamic terrorism when you here this propaganda.
@Jamie Exactly. Have you ever wondered why there are none such articles with inside stories from people in Yemen ?? They have been under constant bombardment by US backed Saudi forces for months and months now and theres a humanitarian crisis underway. I recall a funeral of a family member killed by a dropped bomb and then they blew up the funeral home while all the mourners were there, as one example
@Nigel O’Neill: I know nigel its a sad state of affairs in Yemen at the moment and will be for a long time as long as the UK USA are backing the slaughter.
@Nigel O’Neill:
May and the British have blood on their hands. They are arming the Saudi killers.
That’s why I can’t take their self-righteousness about the Rusian guy seriously.
In the future the world should look back in shame on events in Syria, which were utterly preventable.
@Walt the events are awful but whi exactly should be ashamed for what exactly?
@Nigel O’Neill: the apathy
@Walt Jabsco:
Yes because getting involved in regime change has work out so well in the past.. #Iraq
@Walt Jabsco: don’t know what to believe anymore. The American paid “rebels” fight on, and the Syrian government drops bombs. I’m sure it’s awful, but the dripfed white-helmet type nonsense doesn’t get attention anymore. No Twitter in Yemen it seems.
These people are trying to drag us into their war. If they want to stop the violence, they should call on their jihadi buddies to leave Ghouta, and to set the civilian population there free.
I’m sick of all the chancers that have spring up–Whiite Helmets etc. A few months back I saw video of the White Helmets (they took off the helmets) cutting off the head of a Palestinian kid. I have no sympathy for them now.
Goal are an extension of the US foreign policy nexus…always have been.
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