3,300 Galway householders forced to pay Property Tax
Revenue enforced mandatory collection of Local Property Tax on more than 3,300 households in Galway in 2017.
Figure supplied by Revenue show that while Galway City and County were ahead of the national average rate of compliance for payment, it had to impose enforced collections (from the ‘pay packet’) 3.9% of households in the county and 1.5% in the city. The 2016 figures were 4% and 1.5% respectively.
The statistics show that in County Galway last year, the tax was paid on almost 69,900 properties, generating €15.6m, and a compliance rate of 98.2%. Mandatory deductions were imposed in relation to more than 2,800 properties in the county.
In the city, LPT was collected on just over 32,000 properties (98.9% compliance), generating €8.3m. There were mandatory deductions imposed at nearly 490 properties in the city.
The average rate of compliance nationally was 97.5%, while the highest rates of mandatory deductions were recorded in Dublin City at 9.7% and Cork County at 9%. The lowest rates were in Leitrim 0.8% and Longford 0.9%.
A breakdown of the figures for Galway City reveal 19.4% of properties were valued at under €100,000; 30.1% at €100,000 to €150,000; 27.5% at €150,000 to €200,000; 11.8% at €200,000 to €250,000; 4.7% at €250,000 to €300,000 and 6.5% at over €300,000.
For the County Galway area, 35% of properties were valued at under €100,000; 32.3% at €100,000 to €150,000; 22.8% at €150,000 to €200,000; 5.6% at €200,000 to €250,000; 2.1% at €250,000 to €300,000 and 2.3% at over €300,000.
The statistics also show there were 1,700 exemptions (totalling €400,000) in the county and 500 in the city (totalling €200,000) – these can arise for a variety of reasons, including unsold new builds; the residences of severely incapacitated people or those with long-term illnesses; nursing homes; charity-owned homes and unfinished estates.
There were 2,200 payment ‘deferrals’ in the county (totalling €300,000) and 800 in the city last year (totalling €100,000). These arise is a householder is below a certain income threshold; if the householder is insolvent and where the householder is the executor of an estate following a death.