Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 May 2013
491. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if there are any plans to standardise commercial rates for the Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23998/13]
View answerLocal authorities are under a statutory obligation to levy rates on any property used for commercial purposes in accordance with the details entered in the valuation lists prepared by the independent Commissioner of Valuation under the Valuation Act 2001.
The levying and collection of rates are matters for each individual local authority. The annual rate on valuation (ARV), which is applied to the valuation for each property determined by the Valuation Office to obtain the amount payable in rates, is decided by the elected members of each local authority in the annual budget and its determination is a reserved function. Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council are separate rating authorities and accordingly set separate ARVs.
While the Government's Action Programme for Effective Local Government, Putting People First proposes significant reorganisation of local governance structures, there are no plans within that programme to amalgamate Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council.
