Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)

Households across the State are faced with significant increases in the local property tax, LPT. Starting from 1 November there will be very significant increases in some areas. County Dublin and surrounding counties and large urban areas have seen huge increases in property prices. This will put a huge burden on people with very large mortgages and older people on low incomes, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. The promise on the local property tax was that there would be improvement in local services. In truth, that never happened. Right across the State the Government gave with one hand but took with the other. People are handing out money for the local property tax but are not seeing an improvement in local service. Sinn Féin would scrap this unfair tax. If the Government will not do that - I do not need a debate on the local property tax - what will it do to protect people from these huge increases in the local property tax?

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