Emotions rise along with property tax in Waterford Chamber

Emotions ran very high in the City Hall at the October plenary meeting of Waterford City & County Council as members voted by a majority to raise the Local Property Tax from 10 per cent to 15 per cent over the next five years.

The Councillors voted for the increase on a 20-11 majority with a counter proposal from Sinn Fein to revert back to the base rate being defeated.

Fine Gael Councillor Damien Geoghegan was first member to give support to the recommendation of CEO, Sean McKeown, and his proposal to support the recommendation was seconded by Cllr Thomas Phelan, from the Labour Party.

"I would be proposing today that we adopt the recommendation," he said. 

"In effect it's a 4.55 per cent increase on what was levied on householders last year," he added, before commenting: "In excess of 90 per cent of people who pay property tax will pay .30c per week or less if we make this decision."

"Locking it in for five years will give us greater certainty," said Cllr Geoghegan.

In seconding the proposal Cllr Thomas Phelan said the majority of houses the increase would represent €4.50 per year.

However, Independent Councillor Donal Barry, who voted against the proposal.

"This is a tax on the ordinary people who purchased their own homes," he said. He said the local authority should be properly funded to pay for footpaths and suggested the country was "awash with money at the moment".

"I think it's a very clever move here today to lock it in to the five years given that the next property tax revaluation for householders is next year," he said.

"The vast majority of householders who are in the 53 per cent bracket, which includes myself, who are paying €90 will then be paying €225 because of the increase and then put your 15 per cent on top of that and you will be paying €258 a year for your Property Tax, an increase of €168," he added. 

He also suggested some councillors were acting like "Robin Hoods" handing out money to sports clubs and organisations. Describing it "a disgrace", he said the public "will see through it" and said he couldn't support the recommendation.

However, that prompted Cllr Geoghegan to shout across the chamber at Cllr Barry and said "you don't have the guts to actually spend money".

"You're calling this a disgrace, you're a disgrace," he said.

"Lilly-livered politicians we have here," he added.

Cllr Murphy then tried to restore order, following which Sinn Féin's Cllr Conor McGuinness criticised Cllr Geoghegan for not being happy with just making a proposal, commenting: "He has to come in and call politicians names across the chamber and speak across the mayor."

He then made a counter proposal to return to the base rate commenting that many people were struggling to heat their homes while some people were rearing their children in their childhood home.

"What Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Labour Party are proposing to do is increase a tax on the family home," he said.

"This isn't an asset that someone can sell," he added. "This is a roof over someone's head and it's morally wrong." 

Independent Councillr Joe O'Riordan also voted against the main proposal and said a tax on a home is "fundamentally wrong".

Social Democrats Councillor Mary Roche also sought to keep the rate at 10 per cent, however, her proposal wasn't seconded. 

The matter was then put to the floor with the Chief Executive's proposal being carried by 20 votes to 11 with one councillor, Lola O'Sullivan, absent.