Written Answers Nos. 153-160
153. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 15 has not been included in the list of unfinished estates exempt from the property tax. [15750/13]
View answer154. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 15 has not been included in the list of unfinished estates exempt from the property tax. [15751/13]
View answer155. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 15 has not been included in the list of unfinished estates exempt from the property tax. [15752/13]
View answer156. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 15 has not been included in the list of unfinished estates exempt from the property tax. [15753/13]
View answer157. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason housing in the Phoenix Park racecourse has not been included in the list of unfinished estates exempt from the property tax. [15754/13]
View answer173. Deputy John Lyons asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason an estate (details supplied) in Dublin 9 was exempt from the household charge in 2012 but is not now exempt from the local property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15948/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 153 to 157, inclusive, and 173 together.
An exemption from the local property tax applies to developments listed in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013.
The list of unfinished housing developments eligible for the exemption was compiled by local authorities utilising the categorisation employed for the purposes of the National Housing Survey 2012.
The Survey was carried out over the course of summer 2012 by my Department in conjunction with local authorities and the Housing Agency.
The categorisation methodology for the survey was different to that which was used in 2011 and which provided the basis for the waiver from the household charge. That earlier categorisation related largely to the level of on-site activity at the time the 2011 survey was carried out and had less to do with the physical character of a development. The 2012 survey was based purely and objectively on the actual state of completion of a development. Only developments that were deemed by local authorities to be in a "seriously problematic condition", regardless of whether a developer was on or off site, were included.
For purposes of preparing the final list of developments to which the exemption from the local property tax would apply local authorities were asked by my Department to confirm or update the then existing list as appropriate.
158. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the amount collected in motor tax for the years 2007 to 2013 respectively. [15809/13]
View answerTotal gross motor tax receipts from 2007 to the end of February 2013 are set out below.
|
YEAR |
TOTAL GROSS MOTOR TAX RECEIPTS ( € ) |
|
2007 |
956,731,400 |
|
2008 |
1,058,605,132 |
|
2009 |
1,057,822,734 |
|
2010 |
1,023,823,935 |
|
2011 |
1,010,419,164 |
|
2012 |
1,054,701,750 |
|
2013 (to end February) |
198,464,699 |
159. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the proposed distribution of funding per county to local authorities under the equalisation mechanism. [15810/13]
View answerI presume that the question relates to Local Property Tax and the distribution of general purpose grants from the Local Government Fund from 2014.
Under section 157 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, commencing in 2014, the Minister for Finance will pay into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax paid into the Central Fund during that year. The Government has indicated an intention to move, from 2014, to 80% retention of all Local Property Tax receipts within the local authority area where the Tax is raised and has asked a working group, at official level, to consider the balance of taxation and spending measures necessary to support this intention. The remaining 20% of the Tax collected nationally will be re-distributed on an equalised basis to local authorities within the context of the annual allocations of General Purpose Grants.
Local authorities' cost and income bases vary significantly from one another. General purpose grants from the Local Government Fund are structured to bring about equalisation over time; that is a position of balance where the financial needs of local authorities are met by their resources and they are able to provide a reasonable level of service to their customers.
160. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the estimated amount of 2013 revenue raised from road tax which will be used to pay off the State's debts not related to our road network. [15812/13]
View answerA sum of up to €150m will be transferred from the Local Government Fund to the Exchequer in late 2013 as a necessary measure towards the reduction of the national deficit. In determining the amount to be transferred, account will be taken of the balance then in the Fund and of any funding commitments that have been made to local authorities.
