Property prices may be falling but council property taxes are still going up, according to research by home owners lobby group VEH.

Next year, property owners will pay an average 2.7% more in property tax (OZB), the organisation said after looking at changes in 100 of the country’s 400 local authority areas.
While official property values will drop for the third year in a row in 2013, councils are increasing tax rates by as much as 10% to make up for government spending cuts or to generate extra cash, the VEH says.
Total local government taxes, including property tax, waste water and rubbish collection services, will rise by an average 1.8% to €711.
The VEH says councils are using property taxes unfairly. Both owners and tenants should pay a charge for local services which should relate to the number of people living in the property.

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