Not a cent to be saved as property tax cut defeated

AN attempt to have Co Galway’s property tax rate reduced by up to 15 per cent was easily defeated when Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael stood firm against reducing the rate by even a single percentage point when members of the Co Council met to discuss the controversial issue this week.
Any enthusiasm for a reduction was knocked out of waverers when it was pointed out that the authority’s 2008 budget was €165 million and the 2015 figure had been reduced to €106 million, with a corresponding reduction in staffing levels of 35 per cent during that period. Members were warned that even the smallest reduction in the property tax rate would result in further cuts to services.