Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 April 2012
870 Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the fact that when a citizen owns a second property and is currently paying an annual non principal private residency charge of €200 for the second property that they will now be expected to pay an additional €100 household charge for the same property; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18725/12]
View answerThe Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 and the Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, set out the legislation underpinning the household charge and the charge on non-principal private residences respectively.
Application of the legislation in particular circumstances is a matter for the relevant local authority. Interpretation of the legislation is a matter for legal advice in individual cases and ultimately a matter for the Courts.
Under the legislation, an owner of a residential property on the relevant liability dates is liable to pay the charges, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. The charges are on a self-assessment basis and it is a matter for an owner of a residential property on the liability date concerned to determine if he/she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the charges by the due dates.
871 Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the household charge. [18726/12]
View answerThe household charge is a local authority charge, the proceeds of which will be used to fund vital local services in our communities.
The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provides that income from the household charge is to be paid into the Local Government Fund. I will disburse monies back to local authorities in general-purpose grants, making it possible for me to equalise distribution, and ensuring that those local authorities with lower populations than others do not suffer unduly as a result.
General Purpose Grants contribute to meeting the difference between the cost to local authorities of providing a reasonable level of services and the income available to them from local sources and from specific grants. The two principle sources of revenue for the Local Government Fund are the proceeds of motor tax and the income from the Household Charge.
General purpose grants from the Local Government Fund are structured to bring about equalisation, over time, so that each authority will have sufficient resources, either from central grants or from its local income base, to provide a reasonable level of day to day services to its customers. For the purposes of allocations, a range of factors is taken into account, including each local authority's expenditure on, and income from, its services, and the overall amount of funding available for distribution.
