It has been announced that homeowners in the Republic of Ireland could face legal action if they have not paid a 100 Euros household charge.
The Local Government Management Agency who are the state body responsible for collecting the payment, are in the process of sending out a second letter warning homeowners who are yet to pay the charge of the possibility of facing legal action, advising that it could begin within months.
Speaking earlier this week, the Local Government Management Agency, Paul McSweeney, has said that they are reluctant to take legal action against the homeowners, but would do so if necessary.
Mr McSweeney, added: “Letter number two will be going out now to landlords. Certainly, we would expect that after three letters some action is going to need to be taken.
“To be honest, we are not really interested in doing that, we want to provide local services. Taking people to court, or prosecuting them, that is not the business we are in. We are in the business of supplying local services to communities.”
The flat rate charge, which the homeowners are required to pay, is the first tax on domestic property since rates in the Republic of Ireland were abolished towards the end of the 1990s; and the government have said that the money collected via the charge would be used to provide services at a local level.
Along with homeowners in the Republic of Ireland, people based within Northern Ireland who also own a property in the Republic of Ireland are also liable to pay the 100 Euro charge.