Householder fury over lack of property tax exemptions

RESIDENTS in several Northside housing estates are furious that they will have to pay the new Local Property Tax despite being exempt from last year’s Household Charge as their estates were classed as

‘unfinished’.

Householders in estates including Barnwell Hansfield, Castlegrange in Castaheany, Phoenix Park Racecouse, Windmill in Clonsilla, Cruise Park in Tyrrelstown, Charlestown in Finglas and Shanowen Road in Santry were shocked to learn last week that their estates are now defined as

‘finished’ and they will be liable for the property tax.

Residents claim that in some cases works to finish their estates have completely ground to a halt. They have now questioned the Minister for Environment on how the estates could possibly be classed as complete.

Until last week, the Barnwell Hansfield estate had been classed as unfinished and was exempt from the Household Charge.

In a letter seen by Northside People from Barnwell Hansfield Residents’ Committee and sent to the Minister for Environment, the alleged condition of their estate is described in detail.

“Following the economic downturn in late 2008, little or no building or development works were carried out in the Barnwell Hansfield site,

? the letter states.

“Of a total of 226 planned units, only 172 were built; there are five areas of totally unfinished development within our housing estate which were to accommodate the remaining 54 units.

“These areas are in varying degrees of completion ranging from green field site to partially constructed.

“The street lighting in areas of the development remain to be commissioned.

“There is no proper road surface within the development and the local authority is still yet to take over the essential services like water and sewerage.

“These items are but a few from a long list of problems which remain at Barnwell Hansfield in conjunction with those on the local authority’s site resolution plan.

?

According to the letter, the majority of homeowners in Barnwell Hanfield are in negative equity by as much as 40 to 50 per cent.

“The Local Property Tax, which is now being demanded from residents by this Government, is highly unjust,

? the letter continues.

“The Government now wishes to generate more revenue to pay back the financial institutions and with the strike of a pen can strike 901 developments or 37,900 households from the list of exempted properties to widen their net.

?

Surprisingly, in the whole of Dublin city and county only one estate (Priory Hall) has been classed as unfinished and not liable for the Local Property Tax as per the list published last week on the Department of Environment’s website.

Local councillor David McGuinness (FF) described the situation as

“farcical

?.

“Not only are many Dublin West residents in significant negative equity and struggling to pay their mortgages, but some respite from this situation was that they were not liable for this family home tax so long as their estate was in the state it is currently in,

? he said.

“Fine Gael and Labour have disregarded any sense of understanding or respect to these residents by lumping this penal tax, which comes at the worst possible time, onto these families.

?

Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan urged householders not to assume that they are exempt from the property tax if they were exempt from the Household Charge.

“While the basis for the exemption is similar to that which applied to the household charge (i.e. this new list was compiled using the results of the 2012 National Housing Development Survey undertaken by local authorities), the survey itself and the methodology for carrying it out was significantly refined in 2012 to address anomalies that arose in the 2011 survey,

? he stated.

“The 2012 survey was conducted by local authorities over the course of summer 2012 on the basis of an agreed nationally consistent set of criteria, mapping and survey methodology.

“It is right and proper that households in unfinished developments should be exempt from payment of the Local Property Tax.

“The number of properties eligible for a waiver reflects the progress made in tackling unfinished housing developments, as well as the more objective approach to categorisation applied to the 2012 National Housing Development Survey.

“The list has changed substantially reflecting the improvements made by local authorities in resolving problems in unfinished housing developments.

?