The property tax mooted by the Commission on Taxation may well be the product of good intentions but is inherently unworkable. How on earth can you vary the thresholds with a sufficient degree of discretion to avoid blatant injustice? There are many people living in mansions right now who are literally unsure where their next meal is coming from. This is the reason previous property taxes (right back to ‘Red’ Richie Ryan in the 1970s) have been tried and failed. This one will too.
In the meantime, one of the stated reasons for the tax – supporting local government – is richly ironic, considering local authorities in Ireland aren’t making the slightest effort to support themselves. A report at the weekend highlighted the failure of councils to collect a total of €1 billion in outstanding rents, charges and bills. In some cases these have been allowed to lapse for months and even years. All this, while county managers lobby government for a return of household rates by any other name.
We shouldn’t be surprised. When you think about it, why should local authorities pursue their own debts when the taxpayer can be relied upon to cough up the cash? This has always been the case in the past and now the Commission on Taxation has duly obliged again. In the meantime, Cork County Council’s payroll costs are expected to increase by €7.2 million this year, i.e., the year of total fiscal collapse for the rest of us, who don’t live in la la land.
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