Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 February 2014
9. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Finance the percentage of the local property tax collected in 2013 that is being returned to the local authority area in which it was collected; and the percentage in relation to South Dublin County Council. [8242/14]
View answerSection 157 of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, as amended, provides that, in each financial year commencing with 2014, the Minister shall pay from the Central Fund or the growing produce thereof into the Local Government Fund an amount equivalent to the LPT, including any interest paid thereon, paid into the Central Fund during that year.
Accordingly, receipts from the Local Property Tax (LPT) received in 2013 will remain in the Exchequer and will be used to meet the many expenditure obligations faced by the State. The allocation to the Local Government Fund for 2013 had already been decided before the LPT commenced and LPT receipts were not part of and were not planned to be a part of the Local Government Fund receipts and expenditure in 2013.
The Commissioners have confirmed that by the end of December 2013 €318 m had been transferred by Revenue to the Exchequer in respect of LPT.
As the Deputy will be aware, Budget 2014 forecast that €550 million would be collected in LPT receipts in 2014. These receipts will be placed in the Local Government Fund which comes under the aegis of the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. Under the Local Government Act 1998 which established the Fund, the Minister manages, controls and authorises payments out of the Fund. Accordingly, the allocations from the Local Government Fund are a matter for the Minister of the Environment, Community and Local Government.
I am further informed by the Revenue Commissioners that compliance data in relation to the LPT for 2013 are available broken down by city and county councils nationally and the most up to date figures are published and can be obtained on the Commissioners website.
