Congratulations to Pat Brosnan who was singled out for a special award for services to Comhaltas, which will be presented at the Munster Convention in Mallow on Sunday next
Public Meeting
Citizens Against Charges
(Septic Tanks, Household Charges etc)
At the Devon Hotel, Templeglantine, on Monday, February 6th at 8pm. Email: [email protected].
Will be recorded by TV3.
Cookery Night
The Kilcolman Rovers Soccer Club will hold a Cookery Demonstration Night in The Hall, Ardagh on Friday, February 10th. This is the first for the club and should be a great night with lots of prizes on the night, so come along you ladies and enjoy a great night. For tickets you can contact any member of the Ladies Club or Sheena on 087-9063338
Boxercise
If you would like to get fit and tone up while having fun then Boxercise is the class for you. If you are interested phone Caroline on 085-7073948 with a view to starting on Thursday mornings, numbers permitting, with a professional trainer.
Athea Library
People have been enquiring about the availibil;ity of the Library for meetings etc. Unfortunately it will not be ready for a long time. The Community Council have to build an extension out the back for a toilet and small kitchen (there is no water connection at the moment). This requires planning permission which takes quite a while and may be complicated since the building is a listed structure and may not be changed. At the moment drawings are being made for the planning application and it could take several months before that is decided so it looks like there won’t be much progress in 2012.
Ferris comments on talks of Technological University for South West
Sinn Féin TD for North Kerry and West Limerick Martin Ferris has cautiously welcomed the news that preliminary talks have taken place between the IT’s in Tralee, Limerick and Cork about a possible merger into a Technological University for the south west. Deputy Ferris said that such a move could be of great benefit to Kerry and the entire region and would ensure the future of the campus in Tralee. However,
he added caution saying that the Hunt report had given cause for real concerns for Tralee IT.
He said: “When the outgoing President of Tralee IT Michael Carmody stated last year that an amalgamation of Tralee with either Cork or Limerick would happen, concern was expressed about the potential loss of courses in the college.
“If this move is a genuine effort to grant University status to the three IT’s under one Technological University then it could be of great benefit to Kerry and the entire region. However, if this is just an amalgamation dressed up as something else then I would have serious concerns”.
New Household Charge
An annual Household Charge of €100 has been introduced in order to fund local services. The Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011 (pdf) provides for this charge, which is an interim measure and will be replaced in future by a valuation-based property tax. The new charge is separate from, and in addition to, the Non-Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge.
If you own a residential property in Ireland, you are obliged to declare your liability for the Household Charge and pay it by the due date, unless you are not liable – see ‘Waivers’ and ‘Exemptions’ below.
Waivers
If you are entitled to Mortgage Interest Supplement on the liability date (1 January each year) you can claim a waiver of the Household Charge.
People living in certain unfinished housing estates can also claim a waiver for the years 2012 and 2013. Details of qualifying estates are published on the Household Charge website.
You must still register your property in order to claim either waiver – see ‘How to apply’ below.
Exemptions
Dwellings are exempt from the Household Charge if they are:
Part of the trading stock of a business and have not been sold or been the source of any income since construction or
Owned by government departments or the Health Service Executive or Owned by local authorities or voluntary housing bodies (including dwellings not yet fully bought from a local authority under the shared ownership scheme) or Liable for commercial rates or
In a discretionary trust or owned by an approved charity.
Mobile homes are also exempt.
Your property is also exempt from the charge if you had to vacate it for over a year before the liability date due to a long-term mental or physical infirmity – this is largely to cover situations where people are in nursing homes or have moved in with relatives because of their need for care. To be exempt from the charge in 2012, you must have vacated the property on 31 December 2010 or earlier.
There is no need to register exempt properties. However, at some stage you may be asked for proof (such as a doctor’s letter) if you do not pay the charge because of the ‘care away from home’ exemption.
Registering your property
You must register your property to declare your liability for the Household Charge or to claim a waiver. You must provide details of the property (see ‘How to apply’ below.
The Act provides for data sharing among relevant agencies such as local authorities, the Department of Social Protection, the Revenue Commissioners, the Private Residential Tenancies Board and the ESB so that liable residential properties can be identified.
Paying the charge
If you own a dwelling, the liability date for the Household Charge is 1 January each year, starting in 2012. If you are paying it as a single amount you have 3 months to pay – up to 31 March. If you wish to pay in 4 instalments throughout the year, you must set up a direct debit mandate by 29 February 2012.
Late payment penalties and interest will apply if you do not pay the charge in time – see ‘Rates’ below. It is an offence not to pay the charge. Local authorities have the power to prosecute people who do not pay.
Proof of payment
You get a receipt when you have paid the Household Charge. If you wish, you can also ask for a certificate of discharge, confirming that the charge has been paid for the year concerned. Proof of payment will be needed if you wish to sell or transfer the property.
Deceased owners
If the owner of a residential property dies, the personal representative of the deceased is liable for the charge if a grant of representation has been taken out. If no grant has been taken out, no charge is payable.
The personal representative will be liable to pay any outstanding charges within 3 months of taking out a grant of representation – these charges are those which were outstanding at the time of the owner’s death. If the personal representative does not pay any outstanding charges within this 3-month period, the charges and interest start to accumulate again from the date of the grant of representation.
Rates
The Household Charge is €100 per year. You can opt for a single payment or else 4 instalments of €25. If you wish to pay in instalments, you will need to set up a direct debit by 29 February 2012, to be paid on the following dates:
13 March 2012
14 May 2012
13 July 2012
10 September 2012
Late payment penalties
Late payment interest and fees will apply if you do not pay the charge in time. Interest will be calculated at 1% per month or part of a month. Late payment fees will be charged as follows:
Delay in payment
Late payment fee
Up to 6 months after due date
10% of the amount outstanding
Between 6 and 12 months after due date
20% of the amount outstanding
Over 12 months after due date
30% of the amount outstanding
Like the Non-Principal Private Residence charge (NPPR), it is being collected on a self-declaration basis and you must register, even if you are entitled to a waiver. However, you do not need to register properties that are exempt – see ‘Exemptions’ above.
Create an account either directly on the Household Charge website or by using the New Account Registration form HC12N (pdf). If you have more than one property to register, use the ‘Add property’ option on the website for each extra property. If you are using the paper form, you can register up to 2 properties on it. Use the ‘Additional properties’ form HC12A (pdf) for any further properties.
You will need to provide:
- Your name and correspondence address
- Your Personal Public Service Number (PPSN) or Tax Reference Number (TRN) if a company
- Details of each property being registered, including type of water supply connection – public main, private well or group water scheme
- Payment details – credit/debit card, bank details for direct debit etc.
If you qualify for a waiver, select the appropriate one from the drop-down menu or tick the relevant box on the paper form.When you have finished entering all the information, you will need to complete a declaration that the information you have given is correct, and if using the form you should sign and date it.
Registering and paying:
To register for the Household Charge and pay it online, set up a direct debit mandate to pay by instalments or claim a waiver, use the Household Charge website.
If you are using the New Account Declaration Form HC12N (pdf) send the completed form along with a cheque, postal order or bank draft made payable to ‘Household Charge’ to the Local Government Management Agency at the address below.
Up to 31 March 2012, you can also hand in the registration form and pay the charge directly at the office of your City or County Council.
For queries about waivers:
If you are not sure that you were getting Mortgage Interest Supplement on 1 January 2012 (which would qualify you for a waiver) contact the Department of Social Protection’s representative (formerly Community Welfare Officer) at your local health centre.
If you have further queries about waivers for unfinished housing estates, contact the Planning and Housing Policy Section of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government
If you have further queries about waivers for unfinished housing estates, contact the Planning and Housing Policy Section of the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government.