Cork county councillors: ‘We are just tax collectors for the State’

Cork county councillors have reacted angrily to reports that the Government will not reimburse the local authority for the near-€4.5m yearly bill to collect motor tax.

On average, County Hall staff collects around €50m yearly for vehicles in Cork city and county, and the funding goes directly to the Department of the Environment.

The council has pointed out, repeatedly, in recent years that grants from the department for road repairs had diminished considerably, to such an extent that the cash-strapped council cannot fulfil proposed road schemes.