Property speculator pays levy 190 times

Despite nearly half the country boycotting the household tax, one property speculator paid 190 times — with a cheque for €19,000.

The payment is the biggest so far received by the Local Government Management Agency, which is responsible for collecting the levy, and covered 190 dwellings.

The agency’s chief executive, Paul McSweeney, said officials were receiving several forms a day registering upwards of 50 properties at a time as they worked through a backlog of 235,000 forms posted in or handed over to local authorities.