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Household Charge Collection

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 December 2013

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Questions (107)

Michael McGrath

Question:

107. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of persons subject to penalties for non-payment of the household charge; the total value of these penalties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53328/13]

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Written answers

The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 provided the legislative basis for the Household Charge. Under the Act, an owner of a residential property on the liability date has been liable to pay the Household Charge, unless otherwise exempted or entitled to claim a waiver. It has been a matter for an owner of a residential property to determine liability and pay the Charge. The Local Government Management Agency has been administering the Household Charge system on a shared service/agency basis for all county and city councils.

I understand from data provided by the Agency that as of 3 December 2013 the total number of registrations for the Household Charge is 1, 304,934. Payments have been registered in respect of 1,280,482 liable properties and waivers have been registered in respect of a further 2 4,452 liable properties. The number of estimated liable properties for the Household Charge is 1,620,814, and therefore the compliance rate stands in excess of 80.5 %.

I am advised by the Agency that approximately € 9.3m has been collected by the local government sector in the form of Household Charge late payment penalties in respect of approximately 355,000 properties. Due to owners of multiple properties, some of which may be compliant and some of which may be non-compliant, it is not possible at this time to specify the number of owners who have paid Household Charge late payment penalties.

Under the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 outstanding Household Charge liabilities were, on 1 July 2013, increased to €200 and became a Local Property Tax liability collectable by the Office of the Revenue Commissioners. Queries concerning the collection of Local Property tax liabilities which are former Household Charge arrears should be addressed, in the first instance, to the Revenue Commissioners.

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