Mayo councillors vote to retain current rate of Local Property Tax

MAYO County Council voted to retain the variation rate of the Local Property Tax at 10 percent despite calls from the council executive to increase it further to pay for services.

The Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael led council voted to retain the variation of the Local Property Tax (LPT) at the current rate of 10 percent, which has remained untouched since 2020.

Head of Finance with Mayo County Council, Peter Duggan had recommended that the variation on the base rate be increased by 15 percent in order to take in an additional €1.41 million in income to pay for services such as hedgecutting and cover matching funding for capital projects.

However, Fianna Fáil councillor Cllr Damien Ryan and Cllr Peter Flynn of Fine Gael told the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council that they will vote to retain the current variation of the base rate.

Local authorities can increase or decrease the base rate of the LPT which is set by the Government by a maximum of 15 percent and Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne proposed that there would be no increase or decrease on the base rate. However his proposal was defended following a vote by 17 votes to ten to support the joint Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael proposal.

In proposing to retain the current rate, Cllr Ryan said that there has been no change to the LPT since 2020 and the council have been able to deliver services to the people.

“For the last number of years this local authority has given certainty for a balanced and modest increase in property tax with the delivery of services. It is very important that those services are maintained and sustained going forward and we don't have a situation where our services may have to be curtailed or scaled back.

“The residents of Mayo will experience no additional increases and we maintain the increase at 10 percent similar to what we have done since 2020,” he said.

Cllr Ryan outlined that €200,000 will be ring fenced for hedge cutting across the respective municipal districts while additional funding will go towards matching funding for Town and Village Renewal Scheme, ORIS and Clar schemes while the remaining balance will go towards capital projects in the municipal districts.

Cllr Flynn seconded the proposal saying that households will pay the same rate as in 2024 and money raised will be spent in municipal districts.

However a number of councillors raised concerns that householders were again being asked to pay a 10 percent increase on the base rate and questioned what they are getting back in return.

Independent councillor Patsy O'Brien said that the issue of the LPT was raised at a number of doorsteps during the local election and he could not vote for the proposal.

“We were told on the doorsteps that people are not happy with the local property tax in general. I have to be honest if anyone asks me in a rural area what they are getting for their local property tax I have to say they are getting nothing extra,” he said.

Fianna Fáil councillor Blackie Gavin indicated he was going to vote against his party's proposal as he felt that towns like Castlebar were not getting anything in return.

In the last council term, the Independent grouping voted for the 10 percent variation along with Fianna Fáil and opposed proposals by Fine Gael to decrease the variation on the base rate.

When Fine Gael councillor Cyril Bourke asked Cllr Kilcoyne what has changed in his position since May, the Independent councillor wittingly replied he has seen the wisdom in Fine Gael's proposal to decrease the rate.

“One of the things you did last year was vote against the 10 percent and I see the wisdom of it. We find ourselves in your situation. I see the wisdom of voting against 10 percent so we are going to do it this time,” he said to laughter in the chamber.

During the vote on Cllr Ryan's proposal all the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil councillors bar Cllr Gavin votes in favour while the all the Independent's voted against as did Cllr Gerry Murray of Sinn Féin and Aontú councillor Paul Lawless.