No increase in Mayo Local Property Tax next year
HOMEOWNERS in Mayo will see no increase in their Local Property Tax (LPT) next year.
Councillors have rejected a proposal that would have seen the base rate increased by five per cent in 2027.
Instead it will stay at its current level, which it has been at since 2020.
A recommendation was put before elected members asking that the base rate of LPT be increased from the current 10 per cent to 15 per cent for the years 2026 - 2029 inclusive.
They were told demand for current local authority services is growing and there are significant needs requiring ongoing attention. In light of the significant erosion of income through inflation, the exceptional increases in energy and operational costs, and the emergence of almost €2.6 million in new and additional expenditure demands, an increase in the LPT adjustment factor was necessary.
A modest increase in LPT would help restore the real value of local funding, protect essential public services, leverage substantial external investment opportunities, and ensure that the council remains financially sustainable in meeting the needs of a growing and evolving county.
Varying the base rate by a further five per cent would generate additional income of circa €506,685 in 2027.
However, a proposal from Councillor Damien Ryan that there be no increase received unanimous support, and no one will pay more than what they paid this year.
He noted the trying times people are in and until we get beyond the international impasse, he felt they were doing their best as public representatives to try and sustain services and keep the burden as manageable as they can.
Councillor Ryan said there were many competing interests, and one that jumped out at him was the demand to furnish Uisce Éireann with €720,000, which he felt was 'extreme'. No local authority should be burdened with that and they needed to lobby their respective ministers.
The utility only recently received €2 billion from national government to fund their running costs and develop infrastructure, which is badly needed, and it was disingenuous that this demand would be seen as a closing out from local authorities that struggle to provide services and have a narrow base in which to raise revenue, he commented.
Councillor Harry Barrett said the government has wasted significant money on projects, and meanwhile people in this county are struggling. A fill of kerosene is now up to €1,600, with people approaching their credit unions to take out loans to cover their winter fuel, electricity and diesel costs have doubled, with groceries up 20 per cent in the last six months, and extortionate rents are being paid.
The council, he said, should be pressurising the minister to increase their block grant in these times.
In the middle of a housing and cost of living crisis, he would reject any increase in LPT.
* Funded under the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme