Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 November 2013
106. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons who are accumulating penalties as a result of not paying the non-principal private residence charge; and the amount outstanding. [48418/13]
View answerThe Local Government (Charges) Act 2009 broadened the revenue base of local authorities by introducing a charge on non-principal private residences. The self-assessed charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties. Under the Act, it is a function of a local authority to collect Non-Principal Private Residence Charges, and late payment fees due to it and all Charges and late payment fees imposed and payable to a local authority are under the care and management of the local authority concerned.
Approximately 357,000 properties have been registered for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge, which has raised in excess of €390m over its five years of operation. It is not possible to state with any certainty the level of non-compliance with the Charge, and therefore an estimate of the amount outstanding would not be sound. However, I am confident that compliance levels are high, given the amount raised by the Charge to date. This year will be the final year of the operation of the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. Since its introduction in 2009, the Charge has been an important source of revenue for local authorities and has funded the provision of vital local services.
