O'Neill critical of 'cavalier attitude' towards LPT in Waterford

Labour candidate for Waterford in the upcoming General Election, Sadhbh O'Neill, has said Sinn Féin and Social Democrat councillors acted in a "cavalier manner" towards Waterford Council's projected €6m deficit, with regard to the recent vote on the Local Property Tax.

Commenting on the matter to Waterford News & Star, Ms O'Neill, said that as 52 per cent of Waterford’s housing currently falls in Band 1 (houses with a value up to €200,000) the increase proposed by the executive would amount to an increase of 6c per week. 

"Even a €1 million property would increase by just €60pa," she said.

"While the LPT will likely increase for many Band 1 properties next year, the cost is still very low and represents one of the few sources of discretionary income for local authorities," she added.

Ms O'Neill was in attendance at the meeting, in the public gallery, and witnessed a lively chamber debate on the matter.

"It is a very modest charge in comparison to the benefit of improving services, especially footpath repairs which are much sought after in Dungarvan," she said.

"Local authorities do not have a dedicated fund for footpath repairs," she added.

After voting against the SF amendment to retain adjustment at 10 per cent the Council passed a motion to adopt the CEO’s recommendation.

"While it is true that local authorities should be better resourced by Central Government, some parties - notably Sinn Féin, Independents and the Social Democrat member - are frankly acting in a cavalier fashion towards Waterford Council's gaping budget deficit for 2025," said Ms O'Neill.

"It is too easy to say that the country is awash with money and the Government should fix local authority finances," she added. She noted that figures produced by the management estimated the deficit in 2025 to be about €6 million but these parties had no ideas for how to bridge that gap," she said.

She commented on a question raised by her Labour Party colleague, Cllr Seamus Ryan, at the meeting, with regard to what the effect would be of abolishing the adjustment to the tax, to which the Council officials said it would cost Waterford's local authority €1.5 million in lost revenue.

She said Sinn Féin Councillors opposed the increase to 15 per cent and said it was their party policy to abolish LPT altogether.

She noted that Social Democrat Councillor, Mary Roche, also opposed the increase despite the fact that her party's position according to its website was to vote on Local Property Tax 'informed by the need to fund local public services'. 

"Many of the Independent Councillors opposed the increase also, on the grounds that any tax on the family home would be 'immoral'," said Ms O'Neill.

"This is not a responsible attitude, in my opinion, since abolishing the LPT would deprive local Government of a discretionary source of income that is levied on a fair way," she said.

"It is one of the few ways to improve public services in 2025 that are badly needed across county Waterford," she added. 

"I hope that when it comes time to vote on the Council's budget that these political parties will take a more responsible attitude to the local authority's finances."

One of those who voted against the proposal at the meeting, Independent Councillor Donal Barry, said at the time that it represented "a tax on the ordinary people who purchased their own homes".

In bringing about their counter proposal to return to the base rate, Sinn Féin's Councillor Conor McGuinness said at the meeting 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 Councillor Joe O'Riordan also voted against the main proposal and said a tax on a home is "fundamentally wrong" while Social Democrats Councillor Mary Roche also proposed to keep the rate at 10 per cent, however, her proposal wasn't seconded.