15% Property Tax Increase Gives Little Back To The Community - Councillor Noel Thomas

The Independent Ireland Councillor for Conamara, Noel Thomas, has criticised the 15% property tax increase passed by Galway County Council at today’s meeting as being a further burden on struggling families without any guarantees that any of the badly needed community facilities would be provided. 

Councillor Thomas said that the group in control of the council led by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and some independents would be heaping further pressure on taxpayers with very little in return for their communities. “Don’t be fooled by the narrative that this extra money that they are taking from the people will be given back as community funding for facilities,” he said, “There is absolutely no guarantees that any of this will happen and in essence the group controlling the council have facilitated the extra taxation of the public when they should have fought for more central exchequer funding to make up the shortfall in the councils budget.

They have let the Government off the hook by imposing a massive 15% tax hike on peoples homes. The Government has never had as much money available to spend on capital projects. It is they that should be making up the shortfall, not the public,” Councillor Thomas said.