Building levy rates vary up to 20 times

LOCAL authorities have been criticised for charging developers building levies at rates that vary by as much as 20 times depending on location.

Surprisingly, the most expensive place to build in the country is not Dublin but Limerick, which costs a developer a full 21.25 times more in levies than if they built the same premises in Donegal.

Between the extremes, rates can vary even within individual towns, with councils using a whole range of different calculations to decide what to charge for connections to public water supplies and sewage systems, provision of street lighting and car parking spaces and other services.