Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government when he will publish the Thornhill Report on Property Tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54187/12]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The EU/IMF Programme of Financial Support for Ireland contains a commitment to introduce a property tax for 2012. The Programme reflects the need, in the context of the State's overall financial position, to put the funding of locally-delivered services on a sound financial footing, improve accountability and better align the cost of providing services with the demand for such services. It was considered that, in light of the complex issues involved, a Local Property Tax would take time to introduce and accordingly to meet the requirements in the EU/IMF Programme, the Government decided to introduce a Household Charge in 2012 as an interim measure. This was done via the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011.

An appropriate broadening of the revenue base for local government will be achieved through the Household Charge and the forthcoming full Local Property Tax. Income from the Household Charge and from a future Local Property Tax is critical in ensuring that local authorities have the necessary resources to continue to deliver services to their communities. The independently-chaired Inter-Departmental Expert Group was established to consider the structures and modalities for an equitable Local Property Tax in the context of decisions to replace the Household Charge. It would not be appropriate to comment on the content of the Expert Group’s report at this point. It is a matter for Government to decide on the exact details of implementation, taking into account the modalities involved. I anticipate that the Report of the Interdepartmental Group on the Design of a Local Property Tax will be published shortly after Budget 2013.