Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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209. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide a full update in respect of his review of local property tax baselines and if he has finalised baselines for 2024 and 2025. [9358/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Baseline funding for local authorities for 2024 and 2025 has not yet been finalised. Provisional Local Property Tax (LPT) allocations comprising baseline funding and equalisation funding where required, are normally notified to Government and subsequently to local authorities in July of each year, in advance of the local LPT variation decision process.

The review of local authority baseline funding has commenced. A working group has been established. Membership comprises representatives from my Department, the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform, the County and City Management Association and local authority elected members. This group will continue the work of the previous 2018 review; it will consider any previous studies and reports in this area, and will include a consultation process with key stakeholders. It is intended that the that the work of the group be completed before summer 2023, in time for the notification of 2024 allocations.

Any proposed changes to the current model will need to take into account the needs and resources of all local authorities, including those who have less ability to raise income locally. Any change will need to be addressed as part of the 2024 estimates process and considered within the parameters of the national fiscal and budgetary situation, and the competing priorities presenting themselves at a national level.