Councillors will vote today on the level of Local Property Taxes that are to be levied on Clare homeowners next year.
Last year, the tax was increased was by 15% in order to boost Council coffers, and that’s expected to remain in place after today’s meeting.
Last year, after contentious discussions that continued right up until the eleventh hour, Clare Councillors voted by a two-to-one majority that the Local Property Tax here be increased by the maximum permitted amount of 15%.
The move was met with some criticism, but those in favour of the increase – including the Council itself – argued that it allowed for an extra €1.5 million to be invested in local services.
Twelve months on, in a much-changed world, the need for that money is now even more acute with the Council already outlining that it expects to incur losses running into the tens of millions of euro as a result of COVID-19.
Sources have indicated that the increased rate will likely remain in place, although the matter will be debated at a special meeting in Glor this afternoon.
Last week, the government announced that a planned review of local property tax bills has been deferred once more, meaning the overall rate of property taxes charged won’t change in 2021.
Therefore, if the Council votes along expected lines, people won’t see any change to their bills.
