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Valuation Office

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 2 October 2018

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

Questions (613)

Jackie Cahill

Question:

613. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the reason the Valuation Office is seeking a revaluation for rates purposes in view of the fact that the property owners gave a comprehensive report as late as 2017 and in further view of the fact that the revaluation comes at a significant cost to the property owner to prepare the required documentation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39936/18]

View answer

Written answers

While the Valuation Office came under the aegis of my Department on 1 January 2018, section 9(10) of the Valuation Act 2001 (as amended) provides that the Commissioner of Valuation is independent in the performance of his or her functions, and decisions with regard to the selection of rating authority areas for revaluation is his or her prerogative. The Commissioner has responsibility under the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 to maintain a valuation list, of all commercial properties in each Local Authority area, which is used to calculate the rates due from individual ratepayers.

The Valuation Office is currently engaged in a national revaluation programme, the immediate objective of which is to ensure that the first revaluation of all rating authority areas in over 150 years is conducted across the country, as soon as possible, and on a phased basis. This is a welcome and positive development on which considerable progress has been made in recent years.

The purpose of revaluation is to bring more equity, fairness and transparency into the local authority rating system and to distribute the commercial rates liability across businesses more equitably, based on modern business circumstances. Following revaluation there is a much closer and uniform relationship between contemporary rental values of property and the commercial rates liability of properties. In essence, the exercise aims to ensure that each ratepayer bears a fair share of the business rates burden relative to the modern rental value of the property that they occupy.

I am informed by the Valuation Office that the part of the National Revaluation Programme known as REVAL2019 commenced in October 2017 with the signing of Valuation Orders for Cavan, Fingal, Louth, Meath, Monaghan, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow rating authority areas. The new valuations for the eight areas undergoing revaluation will be published in 2019, and become effective for rates purposes from 2020 onwards. Revaluation 2019 will result in the revaluation of approximately 31,000 commercial and industrial properties. This includes the Fingal County Council rating authority area which is undergoing a second Revaluation.

One of the first steps of REVAL2019 was that a request for information, under Section 46 of the Valuation Act 2001 (as amended), was issued in October last year to each rateable property in each of the local authority rating areas being revalued. The information sought included details of occupation, whether the property was held leasehold or freehold, the nature of business being carried out in the property and the physical size of the property. The occupier of the property referred to in the Deputy’s question received such a request and provided the relevant information in January this year.

As part of the revaluation process, I am advised by the Valuation Office that it requests more detailed information in respect of certain types of business including fuel/oil depots. This is provided for in Section 45 of the Valuation Act 2001 (as amended). This information can include information on the company’s accounts certified by a suitably qualified individual such as an accountant.

The information requested by way of a Section 45 Notice is normally more trade related and commercially sensitive than that requested under Section 46. In this regard, a significant number of requests for information under Section 45 have issued in recent months, including to the occupier of the property referenced in the Deputy’s question. The occupier has been in contact with the Valuation Office to advise that the relevant information will be provided later this month.

Conducting a revaluation is an extensive, evidence-based statutory process principally governed by the procedures and timelines set out in the Valuation Acts 2001 to 2015 with the express objective of achieving both “Correctness” and “Equity & Uniformity” for ratepayers. The information provided by occupiers is highly significant in supporting this objective.

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