Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

235. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if local authorities are obliged to charge their tenants for the property tax due for the house in which they reside, in view of the fact that the local authority has to pay the Revenue Commissioners the property tax due on each of the houses which it owns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51300/13]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In accordance with section 58 of the Housing Act 1966, housing authorities are responsible for determining the rents of their dwellings, subject to complying with broad principles laid down by my Department, notably that the rent payable should be related to income and that low-income households should pay a lower proportion of income in rent.

The current arrangements for determining local authority rents will be substantially replaced on the coming into force of section 31 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009, which predates, and does not refer to, the Local Property Tax legislation. Following the enactment of the Housing (Amendment) Act 2013 in July, I am arranging to make regulations under section 31 re-affirming the principle that rents should be related to household income and composition, and reflecting the requirement that housing authorities should set rent levels that take account, as far as practicable, of the cost of providing works and services to, and managing and maintaining, their rented accommodation. I intend to ask the Housing Agency to provide the relevant guidance to housing authorities to assist them in making their rent schemes to ensure that they comply with the Regulations.