Ratepayers in the new Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Area To Receive Rate Bills
Home owners and businesses throughout the new Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area will receive their rate bill for 2015/16 this week.
Your bill will show the amount due for the new billing period 2015/16, including any debt that may have been carried forward from previous years, along with any rate relief where applicable. The Department of Finance and Personnel’s Land & Property Services (LPS), issue rate bills and collect monies on behalf of the NI Executive and local councils.
From this year, for the first time, each domestic ratepayer in Northern Ireland will receive a personalised annual rates statement with their bill.
This will give each household an indicative breakdown of what their rates are used for, for example, how much is spent on health, on education, on roads and other vital public services.
The Non-domestic Revaluation has been completed and bills for businesses have been calculated using the new rateable values. The rateable value is an estimate of the annual rental value of the property, as at April 2013.
An LPS spokesperson said, “There are around 53,000 ratepayers in the new Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area and through the payment of their rates they help to fund the provision of a number of vital public services. This includes healthcare, education and roads as well as helping to fund a wide range of Council services and facilities, ranging from building control and bin control to tourism and local events.”
The chairman of Fermanagh and Omagh District Council, Cllr Thomas O’Reilly highlighted that this is the first time that Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has set the rates for the new district.
He said,“Councillors and officers are keenly aware of the very challenging economic environment which continues to affect ratepayers, and the council will make every effort to ensure that resources are utilised appropriately to deliver the highest standards of service as well as to take forward projects and invest in the development and growth of the district.
This year, for the first time, the Council will also assume responsibility for the functions of planning, economic and tourism development and off-street car parking which are devolved from central government. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council also has an ambitious three year capital programme.”
For the 2015-16 year Fermanagh and Omagh District Council’s business rate is the lowest in Northern Ireland whilst four councils out of the eleven have a lower domestic rate. To alleviate the impact of rate convergence the Executive have introduced a transitional relief scheme which will be applied to the rates bill of Fermanagh residents.
Further information and guidance on rates is available at www.nidirect.gov.uk/rates or for non-domestic customers, at www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/rates.
If there is any information on the bill which is incorrect, or your circumstances have changed, you should contact LPS immediately on 0300 200 7801.
Source: ulsterherald.com
