HOMEOWNERS in four Clare ghost housing estates remain exempt for the local property tax, due for payment from July.
However those that own or pay the mortgages on houses in 19 other es- tates exempt from last year’s “household charge” are now expected to pay up this new tax.
All properties identified as not liable for the new property tax by Clare County Council for the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government that are in the south and east of the county.
Ard na Deirge, Knockycloraun, Killaloe and Radharc an Locha, Scarriff Road, Mountshannon are two of the four Clare estates named in the list of unfinished housing estates published in the last week.
The remaining two estates are in Sixmilebridge – Chuirt an Droichead, on Main Street and Ard Ratha on the Broadford Road. Last year’s waiver applied in respect of the € 100 Household Charge was applied to 23 ghost estates.
The new list however contains 83 per cent less housing estates and reflects what the department describes as “the significant progress made by local authorities in reducing the number of problem estates.”
Not all householders agree however. Approximately 5,000 households nationally are eligible for an exemption under section 10 of the Finance Local Property Tax Act 2011.
Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan said;
“It is right and proper that households in unfinished developments should be exempt from payment of the Local Property Tax.
“The number of properties eligible for a waiver reflects the progress made in tackling unfinished housing developments, as well as the more objective approach to categorisation applied to the 2012 National Housing Development Survey.”
“I would urge people not to assume that just because they were eligible for a waiver from the household charge they will be eligible for an exemption from the local property tax. The list has changed substantially reflecting the improvements made by local authorities in resolving problems in unfinished housing developments,” he said. Information is available on the Department of Environment and Clare County Council websites.