No rise in LPT for next year

The Local Property Tax in Westmeath will remain the same for 2024.

In a report circulated to councillors at the September meeting of Westmeath County Council, on Monday of last week, chief executive Pat Gallagher said that despite the “myriad [financial] challenges” the local authority faces, he recommended that the LPT rate remain unchanged due to the recent announcement that baseline funding from the state is increasing by €1.5m for 2024.

The recommendation received cross party support.

Cllr Ken Glynn said that while it may be a challenging time for local authorities, it is “equally challenging for families” with “rising costs and inflation hitting hard”.

“Hopefully, the upcoming budget will help struggling families. There isn’t a household that isn’t struggling. You only have to look at your weekly shop and what a full trolley used to cost as opposed to now.”

Cllr Mick Dollard welcomed the news that there would be no increase; “the people of Ireland are among the most highest taxed people in the entire world”.

Cllr Paul Hogan and Cllr Denis Leonard questioned why Westmeath’s allocation of €1.5m was significantly less than other midlands counties such as Offaly (€3.6m) and Laois (€3m).

Cllr Hogan said the statement released by the Dept of Housing, Local Government and Heritage gave “no clarity as to how these figures were allocated”, while Cllr Leonard said that although Westmeath was near the “bottom of the pile” when it came to the amount allocated, “it is not bottom of the pile when it comes to deprivation and population growth”.

When outlining the financial challenges facing the council, director of finance Jimmy Dalton referred to a number of factors, including wholesale energy prices, which he estimated had risen by “three times what they were before the war”.

While energy prices have fallen in recent months, Mr Dalton believes they will not return to pre-war levels soon. He estimates that the council will spend in the region of €700,000 more on energy in 2024 than in 2021.

He also noted that inflation “continues to be a challenge” and that each rate increase of one per cent costs the council €200,000.

In total, the council estimate that the amount of income that generated from the LPT in Westmeath next year will be in the region of €6.6m, with a baseline payment from the state of around €6.1m, including the recently announced increase of €1.5m.

The council estimate that total income for 2024 will be in the region of €103m.