Local Property Tax maintained at current levels for next year
Householders throughout the county struggling with the cost of living will have no increase in their Local Property Tax for next year following a decision by Meath county councillors this week.
The decision to maintain the LPT at current levels, combined with a mid-Summer drop in the country’s inflation rates from 2.6 per cent to 2.2 per cent, may go some way in helping the population to keep pace with their day-to-day outgoings.
Council Chief Executive Kieran Kehoe and Head of Finance Fiona Lawless had asked the 40 councillors not to cut the current of LPT but to maintain it at its current level so that the same level of services can continue to be provided by the council.
A 15 per cent rate was accepted by the councillors and this amount was agreed without the necessity of a vote. The process of deciding on Local Property Tax levels is a lengthy one and includes public consultation. The consultation process started on 3rd July and people were allowed have their say. Just 64 people responded online. There was some surprise at council level when a mere eight people suggested the property tax should be reduced, 51 voted to increase it, and five opted for “no change”.
Usually, the majority would look for a reduction in the rate of LPT. The information about the amount of LPT paid in the county comes from the Revenue Commissioners – Meath County Council itself does not collect the tax. That amount in 2025 is expected to be €21.4 million.
One of the big costs for the county council is in its payroll and it has had to pay increases to its employees this year – 2.25 per cent in January, one per cent in June and another one per cent next month. Another two percent will be paid in March and a further one per cent in August.
There are 19 bands calculated for LPT and Ms Lawless said that 75 per cent of the properties in Meath fall into the first three bands . Twenty four per cent of the properties in the county are valued at less than €200,000. A 15 per cent increase in LPT would bring in an extra €3.2 million to council coffers. That increase would have “positive impact” on council services, the head of finance said.