No Increase in Local Property Tax for Monaghan Homeowners in 2027 After Councillors Reject 25% Rate

Homeowners in County Monaghan will pay no more Local Property Tax (LPT) in 2027 than they do this year, after councillors rejected a request from the council executive to raise the local rate at their monthly meeting on Monday 5 October.

What was proposed

Councils can vary the national basic rate of LPT in their area by a percentage known as the local adjustment factor. Monaghan has used a 15% increase for years. A change in legislation this year means councils can now go as high as 25%, and that was what the executive recommended for 2027, Head of Finance Olga McConnon told the meeting, according to the Anglo-Celt.

Ms McConnon said the amount paid by Monaghan homeowners had not changed in eight years. In 2026 the 15% variation meant each of the county's three Municipal Districts received €319,317. Under a 25% rate, the districts would have received the same amount again, with the extra €369,317 going into the council's revenue budget. She said the money was badly needed to meet rising "uncontrollable costs", because income from commercial rates is expected to grow only slightly in 2027 and central government funding to the council is not increasing.

How councillors voted

Sinn Féin and Fine Gael brought separate proposals to keep the rate at 15%, and when the Cathaoirleach, Cllr Aidan Campbell (FG), called the vote, support was unanimous on a show of hands.

Cost of living was the main argument, Northern Sound reported. Cllr Alan Johnston (FG) said that while extra money for the county's roads would be welcome, he did not think a higher LPT was the answer. "The last thing people in our communities need is an LPT increase," he told the meeting, as reported by the Anglo-Celt.

Cllr Colm Carthy (SF) moved his party's proposal, which he called a compromise. "I have the fear that if we had the power to vary the LPT by 100% we would be asked to exercise that power," he said. His party colleague Cllr Pat Treanor said councils should not become "the tax collector" for the government, and Cllr Seán Conlon (SF) called the executive's proposal "a slippery slope".

Cllr Seamus Treanor (Ind) said there was "no way" he would back a 25% rate, which he called "outrageous". Cllr Sean Gilliland (FG) said the council could not ask "hard-pressed families for an extra 10% because it is not there".

Cllr P.J. O'Hanlon (FF) had said he would support 25% if the extra money went on the county's roads, but he withdrew that proposal once it was clear members would not agree to an increase. He welcomed Sinn Féin's support for a 15% variation after what he described as years of opposing the tax.

What it means

For households, the decision means LPT bills in Monaghan stay at the same level in 2027. For the council, it means the extra €369,317 the executive sought will not be available as it prepares its budget for 2027. The LPT share that goes to the Municipal Districts is the only discretionary money they have to match-fund local projects, Cllr Gilliland noted.