Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome that 12 Fianna Fáil Senators have signed the motion. While I would not agree with all of it, it is a good motion and it is good we are having this debate. The current local property tax regime is exorbitant in certain places, and in certain circumstances it is grossly unfair and takes no account of people's capacity and ability to pay. At the same time, we need a form of support for local government. I have always advocated a council tax and I stand here today in a public forum and I say it again - we need a proper revenue stream for local government. I believe we need to be upfront and honest and we need to learn from other experiences in this regard. Part of the remit of the Minister of State, Deputy Phelan, is local government and I know he is working on a number of initiatives. If we want decent local government, we have got to finally address the real issue of how we fund local government. It is wholly inappropriate that it should rely as heavily as it does on the commercial sector and commercial rates.

I believe people are happy to pay or make a contribution-----