Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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170. To ask the Minister for Finance the length of time for which the current list of unfinished housing estates will qualify for a wavier from the local property tax; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22837/13]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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Section 10(2) of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012, as amended, provides that a residential property shall not liable to Local Property Tax (LPT) where it is situated in an unfinished housing estate, where such estate is contained in a list prescribed by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government. The Minister has prescribed and published this list, which is set out in the schedule to the Finance (Local Property Tax) Regulations 2013. I stress that the decision as to whether an estate is on the list of unfinished estates is in the ambit of local authorities and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and not in the ambit of the Department of Finance or the Revenue Commissioners. I have been advised by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government that there will be no change to the list of prescribed unfinished housing estates for the current valuation period. Where a property situated in an unfinished housing estate within the list as prescribed by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government is not liable to LPT on a valuation date, section 14(2) of the LPT legislation provides that such residential properties will be exempt until the next valuation date. Therefore any residential properties contained in the list of unfinished housing estates on 1 May 2013 will be exempt from LPT until the next valuation date (1 November 2016).

For those properties that are not exempt, the LPT is a self-assessment tax so it is a matter for the property owner to calculate the tax due based on her or his assessment of the market value of the property. The condition of the property and surrounding areas would be factors that property owners could take into account in valuing their properties.