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The Journal
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Journal
Dublin city councillors set to increase property tax for first time
DUBLIN CITY COUNCILLORS are set to vote next week to stop applying a 15% discount on property tax for the first time in more than 10 years. The change, for 2026, comes at the same time that the government is also applying increases to property tax to reflect the significant rise in house prices, although tax bands have been tweaked to moderate the impact. It's understood councillors' decision will cost less than €65 per year for homeowners whose houses are worth up to €525,000, with exact costs on a sliding scale based on the value of the property. For a €450,000 house, for example, the annual charge will be €428 in total. For the owners of the capital's most expensive houses, councillors' decision will cost more, with homes worth between €1m and €2m likely to pay €150-460 more than they would have with the discount. A house worth €1.2m must pay €1,094 in property tax in total each year from 2026 onwards. Property tax was introduced in 2013 at the behest of the Troika , with a view to broadening the tax base and funding local authorities without taxing employment. Dublin City Council management has long argued that the vast majority of Dublin homeowners would not be hit with substantial additional charges if councillors agreed to reduce the discount applied, while the city would benefit. The council's ruling group, comprising Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Green Party, agreed after last year's local elections to apply the baseline rate with no discount this year for the first time. The decision, which will be taken at a meeting on 18 July, is expected to bring in more than €15m in extra funding for the city. It's understood councillors are considering targeting the additional revenue at improving the council's housing stock, as well as improvements to footpaths, although no final decisions have been taken yet. Advertisement Labour and the Green Party, which pushed for the discount to be scrapped, argue that property tax is progressive and will provide crucial funding for improving the city. Councillors Feljin Jose of the Green Party and Darragh Moriarty of Labour characterised property tax as the closest thing Ireland has to a wealth tax, given most of the country's wealth is held in property. 'A lot of our [council] housing stock is very bad, and we need to maintain and repair and urgently increase the energy efficiency of those buildings,' said Jose of the Green Party. Darragh Moriarty of Labour said: 'In the vast majority of instances, these are very modest property taxes, by European comparisons. The 15% will be modest as well.' He noted that the decision would mean an extra €60m could be invested in improving the city over the lifetime of the council. Councillor Deirdre Heney of Fianna Fáil said she hoped additional funding would be allocated to footpath repairs and tree maintenance, issues that are raised with her frequently by residents, as well as to building more playgrounds. Property tax for 2026 is owed on 1 November. The government changed property tax bands earlier this year to moderate the increase in the amount of tax payable as a result of increasing house prices. A possible left-leaning ruling coalition on Dublin City council last year including Sinn Féin fell apart over the question of property tax . Sinn Féin wanted to continue to apply the 15% property tax discount. Separately, the government said last week that this year it will allow Dublin city, which takes in by far the most property tax of any council, to keep an additional €19m of the revenue it raises this year. The government wants this extra funding spent on implementing the recommendations of its Dublin city taskforce. Each year, a proportion of council tax from larger local authorities is redistributed to those with a lower property tax base. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Extra.ie
07-05-2025
- Extra.ie
Heads down, lights on: Dublin installs new light signals for phone-obsessed pedestrians
New lights are being installed at junctions in Dublin city to alert distracted pedestrians when to cross the road. The first of the red lights, that illuminate the ground, have been installed on Tara Street and are a new safety initiative from Dublin City council. The move is in a bid to better alert pedestrians who are looking at their phones or otherwise distracted, to pay attention to the traffic ahead. New lights are being installed at junctions in Dublin city to alert distracted pedestrians when to cross the road. Pic: Collins Having been increasingly successful in other European countries including Poland and the Netherlands, the new initiative is currently operating under a trial basis. Feljin Jose, Dublin City Councillor and Green party transport spokesperson previously told The Journal: 'The broad idea is that they are being trialled at very busy junctions where there's a lot of pedestrians crossing that may be distracted.' He added: 'That's exactly the kind of thing that the traffic department should be doing, seeing what improves safety and what doesn't.' The first of the red lights, that illuminate the ground, have been installed on Tara Street and are a new safety initiative from Dublin City council. Pic: Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images The lights have been dubbed 'zombie lights' elsewhere, with Dublin City Council eager to implement them in other high traffic areas of the city. Speaking on the move, a spokesperson for the council said: 'DCC have been trialling this technology at Tara Street for a number of months and will also be trialling different technology at other crossings to determine if there is any requirement for this type of technology to be rolled out at other locations.' 'To date it is too early to determine if any particular technology is suitable and if there is sufficient evidence to roll it out at further locations.'
The Journal
02-05-2025
- General
- The Journal
New pedestrian lights illuminate the footpath at Dublin junction to alert distracted walkers
A NEW PEDESTRIAN light aimed at getting people to pay attention to traffic at busy junctions has been installed at Tara Street in Dublin city. The measure involves a diffuse red light which is cast on the ground on the edge of the road. One of the aims for the additional light is to get people who are looking down at their smartphones, or are otherwise distracted, to pay attention to the traffic crossing ahead. So far the light has been implemented at Tara Street, with further ground-level LED lights at crossings on Capel Street that have not yet been turned on yet. Advertisement Similar systems have been employed elsewhere in Europe, including Poland and the Netherlands. Feljin Jose, Dublin City Councillor and Green party transport spokesperson, said: 'The broad idea is that they are being trialled at very busy junctions where there's a lot of pedestrians crossing that may be distracted.' He added that the measure is 'worth trying'. He said: 'That's exactly the kind of thing that the traffic department should be doing, seeing what improves safety and what doesn't.' Jose added that this measure is in the early stages, and it isn't clear yet what the outcome from the light will be. Mannix Flynn, non-party Dublin City Councillor who represents the area where Tara Street is located and is on the mobility and public realm committee, said the trials happening create 'confusion' around the city and that it's 'difficult to keep up with.' Dublin City Council has been contacted for a statement. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
