50 UNFINISHED GALWAY ESTATES FAIL TO MAKE PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION LIST

Date Published: 21-Mar-2013

50 unfinished county Galway estates which had been given exemptions to the Household Charge have now been ommitted from the list of exclusions for the local property tax.

Just seven estates have been included in the property tax exemption list published by Minister Phil Hogan.

Phase 2 of the Fionn Uisce estate in Doughiska is the only city estate and has featured on both lists.

However in the county, only six estates have made the exemption list compared to 56 such developments when the household charge exemptions were compiled.

The county list includes An Teaghlach Uilinn on Knockferry Road in Moycullen, Garrai Eoinin in Bothar Bui, Knock South, Inverin and Ard Na Speire on the Moycullen Road in Spiddal.

In Tuam, the Carraigweir estate on the Weir Road is exempt as well as Glynndale Court in Corrolough, Williamstown and the Garrai An Droicid estate in Craughwell.

Cabinet Minister Pat Rabbitte has defended the slashing of the number of ghost estates nationally to just over 5,000 properties in 421 estates.

More than 43,000 homes were exempt from last year's household charge and a report last summer found some 1,100 estates were unfinished.

The Communications Minister told the Dáil that report is out of date as estates have been finished since it was published.

But Fianna Fáil's Michael McGrath says it's unfair.