500,000 register for property tax as postal deadline passes

Nearly 500,000 of the 1.6m people eligible for property tax have already registered to pay.

Yesterday was the last day for homeowners to post property tax returns, while the deadline for registering online is May 28.

Any envelope posted with yesterday’s postal stamp will be accepted by Revenue Commissioners.

The property tax can also be paid over the phone by ringing 1890 200 255.

A campaign to enforce payments will come into place in mid-June, with deductions taken at source from salaries and welfare payments from Jul 1.

A register of properties was drawn up using information from the Revenue, the Local Government Management Agency and data from utility companies.

The data was cross- checked to ensure it is was accurate as possible.

The public sector embargo will be broken so that another 100 staff can be drafted into the Revenue Commissioners office to help collect the tax.

According to Phil Hogan, the environment minister, an amount equivalent to the property tax will be paid into a local government central fund each year.

The Government has accepted in principle, that from next year 80% of all the tax receipts will be retained within the local authority area where the tax is raised.

The remaining 20% collected nationally will be redistributed to local authorities on an equal basis.

Refusal to pay will lead to interest charges at 8% per annum for late payment and penalties may also arise.

Any unpaid tax attaches to the property and home owners will not be able to sell without paying any outstanding tax, interest, and penalties due.