Council expects surge in charge payments

FINGAL County Council said it expects a surge in
household charge payments towards the end of this month.

Despite the announcement last week that only 110,000
householders around the country have paid the charge, Fingal County Manager
David O’Connor insists that the rate of compliance is in line with
expectations.

“It is broadly in line with what happened three years
ago when the Non Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge was introduced,

? he
stated.

“As the end of March approaches we expect the number
of people paying the charge to increase significantly and the wide range of
payment options aims to make it as easy as possible for homeowners to budget for
and pay the charge.

?

Over

?¬10 million has been generated through the
household charge payments to date.

Eighty per cent of those who registered and paid the
charge so far have paid online either in full or through the instalment
facility. The latter option was closed to the public last week.

The remainder paid at their local council office or by
posting payment directly to the Household Charge office.

Householders have until March 31 to pay the

?¬100
charge before penalties apply.

According to Mr O’Connor, revenue generated from the
charge is ploughed back into local communities and facilities.

“The household charge goes directly into essential
local services including our parks and pitches, our libraries and community
centres, our planning and development services, our fire and emergency
services, the maintenance and cleaning of streets and street lighting,

? he
explained.

“These facilities benefit everyone in the community.
Seventy-eight per cent of Fingal County Council’s annual budget comes from
within Fingal with our ratepayers making a significant contribution.

“The remaining 22 per cent comes from the exchequer
and the introduction of the household charge now means that homeowners will
make a direct contribution as well, the same as every other country in Europe.

?