Tipperary Councillors voted to increase the base rate of the Local Property Tax in the county for the next three years at yesterday’s meeting. Tipperary receives a total of €27M from the Local Property Tax. €11.3M is raised in county Tipperary and the county receives €16.1M from the Equalisation Fund(Revenue raised in other counties) to meet the baseline funding total of €27M required to provide services in the county alongside other income sources.
The proposed increase of 15% from the base rate is 5% more than the 2024 rate. The Council Executive had asked councillors to agree to a 5-year increase at 15% to allow the council to budget with certainty as to it’s income from the tax until 2030. The councillors agreed to a three-year 15% increase on the base rate by a margin of 30 in favour and 8 against. All members of Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour, councillors in the Lowry Group, Independent Councillor John O’Heney and Independent Councillor Jim Ryan voted for the increase. Independent Cllr Liam Browne abstained and Cllr Michael O’Meara was absent for the vote. The vote was opposed by Independent Councillors Andy Moloney, Máirin McGrath, Niall Dennehy, Seamus Morris and Richie Molloy. Cllr Pat English from the Workers Unemployed Action Group and Sinn Fein Councillors Anne Marie Ryan and David Dunne also voted against the tax increase.
Under the applicable regulations any county that increases it’s base rate can keep 100% of the extra revenue raised. In Tipperary this is expected to be a total of €1,688,283 in 2025. This will be allocated as follows €804,000 to the General Municipal Allowance(GMA) fund which is divided into the five Municipal Districts based on population. Tipperary Cahir Cashel will receive €306,000 compared to €160,117 this year due to the increase. €627,000 will go to local arts and recreation centres in the county(The Canon Hayes Centre will receive €40,000 next year and the Tipperary Excel will receive €32,000) – €125,000 will be allocated to town and village presentation measures such as Planting and Landscaping, Power Hosing, Cleaning and Weeding, Signage, Painting and Wall Murals, Biodiversity Projects and Enhancement Projects and €133,000 will be allocated to Special Projects in the county.
The increase will be €4.5 compared to this year for 58% of homeowners, €11.25 for 25% of homes and €15.75 for 12% of homes in the county. Homes with a value of €350,000 and higher, accounting for 5% of homes in the county, will have a LPT increase greater than €20 per annum.
