Galway Bay fm newsroom – City Councillors have voted for no change to be made to the local property tax rate for 2017.
At last evening’s meeting of Galway City Council, councillors were in broad agreement that the negative consequences of any reduction would outweigh the savings.
Last evening’s meeting of the local authority heard that 90 percent of all properties in the city are valued at under quarter of a million euro.
Sinn Fein councillors were the first to have their say on the Local Property Tax for 2017- with Councillor Mairead Farrell calling for the maximum reduction of 15%.
However, her demand met a cold reception, with Councillor Niall McNelis demanding to know how the subsequent 1.2 million euro shortfall to the city coffers would be addressed.
Councillor Pearce Flannery told Councillor Farrell and her colleague Cathal O’ Conchuir to step up to the plate and work for the common good in the locality instead of repeating Sinn Fein rhetoric.
Councillor Donal Lyons told the meeting that lower property tax would lead to a decrease in services and the City Council simply can not afford to lower the current rate.
Not all those present were as supportive of maintaining the status quo – Councillor Mike Cubbard said it’s difficult to expect people to put their hands in their pocket when they’re seeing very little return for their money.
Councillor Peter Keane went a step further and suggested that it was time they bit a bullet and broadened the debate to consider a slight raise in the rate for 2017 to guarantee increased services in the city.
However, councillors eventually agreed to maintain the current rate for 2017 by a majority of ten votes to five, with one abstention.
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