Mayo County Council did not receive a single submission from any member of the public in relation to raising or lowering the Local Property Tax in the county. Under the legislation regarding the tax, local authorities have the choice to raise or lower the tax by 15 per cent either side of the set rate. The council advertised in July of this year for submissions from the public on the issue, but they did not receive a single submission from the public on the issue during this consultation period.
Peter Duggan, the head of finance for the council, made the revelation during his presentation on the LPT at the September meeting of the council on Monday. He outlined the council's overall financial situation to the members in the presentation in which he said the council expected to see a shortfall in net income of €4.3 million in total next year compared to last year. The shortfall is made up of a gross reduction in income of €5.3 million, with an increase in the council's payroll costs of €1 million under the Landsdowne Road Agreement, along with an increase in other provisions of €1 million, less a reduction in expenditure fully recoupable from third parties of €3 million, leaving a net figure of a €4.3 million reduction.
The council's head of finance also outlined that Mayo County Council also had the fifth highest deficit figure of all the local authorities in the country at the start of the year with a deficit of €5 million, and warned that it needed to be tackled by the council in the next three to five years at the most, or the Department of Environment would make decisions regarding the deficit for them.
As for reducing the LPT, he noted that 41 per cent of houses valued for it in Mayo were valued at under €100,000; 40 per cent between €100,000 and €150,000; and the other 19 per cent from €150,000 upwards. He explained that a one per cent reduction in the LPT would save people in the first band 90c in the year and €2.25 in the next band, whereas it would effect the council's income by €102,000 per year, while a 15 per cent reduction, which would save households in the lowest bands €13.50 a year, would hit the council's income by €1.53 million.
