Tony McLoughlin (Sligo-North Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

183. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details as to the reason revenue raised from the local property tax has gone towards the establishment of Irish Water; the amount of money raised by the tax that went to Irish Water in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12277/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Finance (Local Property Tax) Acts require the Minister for Finance to pay an amount equivalent to the Local Property Tax (LPT) that was collected, including any interest paid during the year, from the Central Fund into the Local Government Fund from 2014. In 2014, LPT was paid into the Local Government Fund, along with Motor Tax receipts. The total income was used for a variety of purposes and was not set against any one expenditure category specifically.

Irish Water received an operating subvention of €439.1m from the Local Government Fund in 2014 which funded water-related expenditures incurred heretofore by Local Authorities and which would, historically, have been met by Local Authorities from their own resources. N o funding has been provided from the Local Government Fund towards the establishment costs of Irish Water.

In accordance with decisions taken by Government, Local Property Tax proceeds in 2015 are used to fund programmes and services provided by local authorities and do not fund the operational subvention to Irish Water. The Revenue Commissioners have projected that they will collect €440m in LPT in 2015. Local authorities have been advised of their provisional Local Property Tax allocations for 2015 amounting to €458.9m from the Local Government Fund, i.e. more than 100% of what is expected to be collected.