Michael Collins (Cork South-West, Independent Ireland Party)

Local property tax was set out to be tax for local authorities. I am not totally opposed to any tax as long as it delivers on exactly what it was meant to be. I will outline to the Minister exactly where it did not deliver in County Cork in recent years. A road at Allihies collapsed and there is no longer a lead road into that community. The council does not have money and has basically walked away from repairing the road. It would not happen up here where if a road collapsed, it would immediately be repaired. Of course, it would be of huge importance and I would agree with that. Councillor Danny Collins and I have been working with the people of Allihies. Even though they have all paid their property tax, they look over at this road that they can no longer travel on. The council has given up and walked away from it.

In Lyre, Clonakilty, a bridge collapsed almost ten years ago. I brought it up in one of my first weeks in the Dáil. I went to see it. It was a link road for the local community half a mile up on the Clonakilty Road. Again, the council walked away because it does not have the funds to build a bridge. The people of Lyre and Clonakilty ask what they have got out their property tax because we are not able to deliver. The very basics are not being fixed.

I was talking to Councillor Ger Curley yesterday, who is councillor for Independent Ireland, about the housing assistance payment, HAP. Why has the HAP not increased in relation to housing? This should come under the property tax. I am fairly sure it does come under the property tax. With the rent pressures zones, many people are telling me that in the past week auctioneers have been inundated with people walking away from letting house. That is another crisis in its own right. The HAP has not increased and people are finding it very difficult to make ends meet. They are paying the higher rates and the rates are getting higher but the HAP has not risen to meet that. Local property tax should have delivered in that area.

There are council rates and there are outside seating rates. It is a hit on the business person. VAT is a hit on the business person. My brother, Councillor John Collins, recently tabled a motion that rates should not apply to the businesses of Bandon at present because the streets are ripped up. That is fair enough because there will be a long-term benefit from it. However, the streets are ripped up so businesses are losing money hand over fist. When businesses are struggling, something should be provided and maybe local property tax should be looked at in that regard.

I was talking to Councillor Daniel Sexton in regard to play parks, which are amenities. The Leap local community is fundraising to build its own play park. In Skibbereen, people are looking to fund their own amenities. The local communities are delivering, not the LPT which was meant to deliver. This will continue. It is hard to support something when the people do not get their money back.

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