Councils to get €70m property tax boost from revaluations and new properties

Kenneth Fox

The country’s 31 local authorities will receive €767 million from the local property tax (LPT) in 2026, according to figures published by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

The amount is almost 10 per cent more than 2025’s total, with two-thirds of the increase generated by revaluations and newly liable properties. The remaining €23 million of the €70.4 million increase will be generated by changes made by councils to how they vary the base rate.

As The Irish Times reports, each council has the power to adjust the amount charged to property owners by plus or minus 15 per cent.

The number of local authorities adding the maximum permitted 15 per cent to bills next year will increase from 18 to 20, but by far the most significant change is the decision by Dublin City Council (DCC) members in July to stop applying a 15 per cent cut to its rate, a move that will generate an additional €16.5 million for the council from LPT charges in 2026.

The move will bring DCC’s allocation from LPT to €109 million, more than €50 million more than the next largest. At €9.9 million, Carlow County Council’s allocation is the smallest.

Just three local authorities will apply cuts to their charges next year: Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, and South Dublin County Council (SDCC).

Of those, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is the only one to persist with a 15 per cent cut, a policy that will cost it an estimated €10.4 million in property taxes next year. The decision to halve the cut it applies from 15 per cent to 7.5 per cent for next year, will generate an additional €3 million for SDCC.

The €767 million total for the 31 local authorities for next year includes central Government support of €142.3 million to 21 local authorities with low LPT bases. The figure is down about €1.5 million from the figure for 2025.

The €767 million total is 69 per cent more than the €453 million allocated a decade ago.