Roscommon's property tax rate to stay same for next two years

From now until 2024, the local property tax in Roscommon "won't cost anyone any more than what it cost last year" after the current rate was maintained for a further two years this week.

In recent years Roscommon councillors have opted, on an annual basis, to increase the base rate of property tax, set by the Government, by the maximum rate allowable which is 15%.

They have now opted to continue that 15% increase on the base rate for a further two years, which means that people's property tax bills in the county will not be any higher than they were last year.

The setting of the local property tax rate was one of the agenda items at Monday's monthly meeting of Roscommon County Council, and its outgoing CEO Eugene Cummins said he hoped there would be unanimous agreement on keeping the same rate as last year.

Figures provided by the local authority stated that 73% of homes in the county had a valuation of €200,000 or less, and that these homes would be facing an annual payment of €90.

For homes valued at €200,000 to €262,500, the payment would be €225, while for properties with a value of €262,501 to €350,000 the figure would be €315. The council said just 2% of houses in the county had a valuation in excess of €350,000, and these homes would be facing an annual payment of more than €405.

The council said the locally-retained income from the property tax would amount to some €3.6 million.

Cllr John Keogh said councillors had met privately to discuss the matter and there was general agreement that the current rate should be maintained for two years.

"We feel it wouldn't be appropriate to set it any longer than that because we'd be leading into a new term, with the possible election of different local councillors," he said.

"For the two-year period it would bring a degree of consistency and clarity to the public as well. It is being set at a rate, there's no change, it won't cost anyone any more than what it cost last year."

The two-year proposal was seconded by Cllr John Naughten, who said income from the local property tax had been used to provide matching funding from the council for a number of important projects across the county.

He mentioned "the Science and Innovation Hub in Monksland, and the proposals there for significant other developments in relation to the community hub and the park and so forth," as initiatives which would benefit from the property tax income.

"I think this is absolutely vital funding - it would have effects downstream in the budget if we didn't maintain it at the level it was at last year, and it gives certainty to people to have it in place for the two years," said Cllr Naughten.

Cllr Tony Ward said that the Independent councillors had met and would not oppose the maintaining of the property tax rate, but they were keen to see some of the income being used on an annual basis for "footpaths, verge trimming and other other minor repairs that are very important to the people of Roscommon."

Mr Cummins responded that this would be a matter for the council's budget meeting later in the year, and that what was up for decision this week was "a strightforward maintaining of the LPT (local property tax)."

The continuation of the current rate for two years was passed unanimously.