Hogans €50m raid of Dublin Property Tax

In March 2013 Minister Hogan told homeowners that 80% of their property tax would be used to provide them with local services. Now the Minister has done a complete U-Turn and decided that he will hold onto 100% of the Local Property Tax in 2014. He has made a vague statement that “a proportion” of the Local Property Tax will be used to fund local services in 2015. He has not said how big or small a proportion, just a %. To add further insult it appears Minister Hogan is going to use the Local Property Tax to pay for his crazy plan to create Irish Water so that they can install meters so he can hit us with a new charge for water. So basically he lied to get us to pay the Local Property Tax so that he can use the money to charge us water taxes.  Who can believe him when he says a % of the LPT will be used for local services in 2015??

Minister Hogan has announced that in 2014 he will not allow local authorities use 80% of the Local Property Tax collected in their area to fund local services as he previously promised. He has announced that he will instead keep the more than €150million in property tax collected in Dublin to fund his crazy Irish Water scheme.

On March 12th 2013 Minister Hogan said the Government “has accepted, in principle, a policy position that from next year 80% of all Local Property Tax (LPT) receipts should be retained with the local authority areas where the properties are based and that these receipts should be utilised by those authorities in their local budgets. This will assist in the funding of new services such as the establishments of Local Enterprise Offices and other labour activation measures that will help create jobs.”

On October 16th 2013 Minister Hogan said: “Retention of a proportion of local property tax receipts at source will now commence from 2015 onwards.”

Minister Hogan is putting his hands into the pockets of Dublin homeowners and extracting €50million for his own crazy pet project to privatize water services in a secret deal through the creation of Irish Water. Homeowners in Dublin are extremely annoyed by this underhand move by the Minister particularly given that there has been an average 90% compliance rate for the property tax across Dublin. (see table below).

Dubliner homeowners paid €80m in property tax this year and will pay over €160m next year. People signed up to the property largely in good faith. Many people took Minister Hogan at his word that 80% of the taxes raised locally would be spent locally and their elected representatives would have a say in how that money is spent in communities across the city. This amounts to a disgraceful betrayal by a Minister who seems intent on consistently centralising power and increasing his control over local authorities.

The Minister needs to keep his commitments to the homeowners of Dublin and allow the Local Property Tax to be spent on local services.   Mary

FREE Electrical Waste Collection

WEEE Ireland will hold a FREE electrical waste collection in Tesco Cabra on Saturday 26th of October from 10.00-16.00. Any household item with a plug or battery will be accepted free of charge.  Mary

North Dublin Enterprise Expo 2013 'Supporting Business Growth in North Dublin'

NDCC is holding the North Dublin Enterprise Expo 2013 'Supporting Business Growth in North Dublin on Thursday 7th November 2013 from 10.00am to 4.00pm in The Helix, DCU, Collins Avenue, Dublin 9. The expo represents a good opportunity to meet with Procurement Officers from large North Dublin organisations e.g. DAA, DCU & Others, meet new business prospects from all over North Dublin.  There will be a focused Social Media Workshop hosted by LinkedIn and a lunchtime Briefing 'The Budget, The Economy and the Implications for Business' presented by Tony Foley, Senior Lecturer, DCUBS. For more details please contact NDCC: Call +353 1 700 8861 | Fax +353 1 700 8863 | Email ndcc@dcu.ie. Mary

Hanlons Shooting

The shooting in the early hours of Sunday morning of four people on the North Circular Road has left the local community in shock and highlights the need to protect local garda resources. The shooting happened on one of the capitals main streets outside a busy public house and close to many private homes. The area is heavily populated with young families and older people who are extremely upset by what has happened and now have serious concerns about community safety.

There is no room for complacency when it comes to violent crime in the community and this latest shooting highlights the importance of protecting community garda resources and supporting the gardaí in the fight against crime. Dublin Central is served by dedicated and hardworking Gardai however they are stretched to capacity.

People are very worried that this shooting and other shootings in the inner city, Finglas, Glasnevin and Clondalkin in recent months appear to indicate towards an increasing trend in violent gun crime.  People want to see a determined and comprehensive response from the Gardai.

I am urging the Minister for Justice Alan Shatter to ensure that local gardaí are given every resource and support they need to investigate this shooting and bring the attackers to justice without delay. I am calling on the Minister to recognise the importance of protecting key frontline garda resources and to ensure that investigations such as this are not hindered in any way by budget cuts.

I am also appealing to the Minister to immediately address the concerns of local residents by committing to provide additional resources to allow active community policing of the local area.

The Gardai are appealing to anyone who was in the area or might have any information to contact them at the Bridewell Garda Station 01 666 8200.  Mary

Water Charges

At this months meeting of Dublin City Council I called for the installation of domestic water meters to be delayed in Dublin until Minister Hogan releases information on his promised "first fix free" scheme.  The government is making a major mistake prioritizing metering ahead of fixing leaks and building new water sources.

The Government has not published the legislation to deal with the transition of water services to Irish Water yet they are pushing ahead with the installation of meters to homes in Dublin City. Installation of domestic water meters will being this week on the northside of the city on the following roads: Mobhi Rd, Clarehaven, Glasanaon Road, St Pappin’s Road, Glasnevin Ave, Benevin, Ballygall, Ventry, Kilkieran, St Attractas and the Finglas Road.  I have asked rish Water to contact homeowners directly before they install the meters.

In June 2013 Minister Hogan promised the Government would pay to fix any leaks found on the homeowner’s side. I have repeatedly asked Irish Water, Dublin City Council and the Minister for information on his promised “first fix free” scheme. Irish Water and Dublin City Council say they have no details and the Minister’s office says he is still working on it.

It is wrong that the Government are again hitting homeowners with extra charges for no additional service. I raised this at City Council where the majority Labour and Fine Gael Councillors support Minister Hogan’s crazy water “plan” as he is guaranteeing their re-election by adding 53 more Councillors in Dublin.  Mary