Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have raised before the practical operation and timing of the property tax and when the decision is to be made. Most local authorities are now being asked to make that decision but they are not making the decision on the estimates for another six or eight weeks. This is the political reality of what local authorities are dealing with on the ground. They are being asked to maintain the current level of property tax but there is nothing on the allocation of money for spending. Politicians are being given the option to opt out of the vote. In Wicklow, last year we tried to tie in where the 15% would be spent. When we took the vote, we wanted to say clearly where the property tax was to be spent. We were not allowed to do so because we cannot do it. The political reality was that people were able to vote against it because it made no difference. When the estimates came out, what these councillors wanted were contained in them and they were able to vote against the property tax measure again. Is there any way the property tax decision can be taken when we see the estimates?