(Cavan-Monaghan) asked the Minister for Finance if he is aware that the use of 1 December as the annual date by which revised valuation lists shall be sent by the Commission of Valuation to rating authorities causes great inconvenience and hardship to many of the ratepayers concerned and if he will revoke the Local Financial Year (Adaptation) Order, 1979.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Revised Valuation Lists.
15.
I am not aware that the issue date of the revised valuation lists causes great inconvenience and hardship to many ratepayers. I do not propose to revoke the 1979 order.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister not agree that because the revised list comes out on 1 December and appeals must be lodged within 28 days, due to the fact that ratepayers are not informed until well into December, with the intervention of the Christmas period, it is nearly impossible to get appeals in on time? As the Minister is aware, the date was originally 1 March, changed to 1 September for EEC purposes and changed since to 1 October and 1 December.
An advertisement is inserted in all local papers in the first few days of September notifying ratepayers that the revised valuation lists are then open for inspection. The Minister for the Public Service has initiated a comprehensive survey of the organisation, working procedures, methods and stamping in the Valuation Office and when the result of this survey becomes available the recommendations made, if they touch on this area, will be considered and implemented.
(Cavan-Monaghan): Would the Minister not agree that putting an advertisement in the paper telling people that they may come and inspect the list is very little help and they do not really get to know until they get a little card half way through the month? Would the Minister not also agree that, because the date on which the result of the previous year's revision comes down is 1 December and because the last date for listing the revisions for the next year is also 1 December, that means if a person misses the appeal he is left for one year paying at the higher rate and it is a year before he can initiate the matter again?
I appreciate the Deputy's question is prompted by his concern for the ratepayers. I would hope that the fact that there are public notices in the paper in addition to the fact that notification is given to each individual ratepayer should be sufficient to alert them. If there are other problems that arise despite those notifications I will refer them to the Minister for the Public Service. I cannot do any more than that.
(Interruptions.)
(Cavan-Monaghan): This affects everybody in the country. Will the Minister accept that experience has shown that this is causing great inconvenience... Will the Minister look into the matter with a view to changing it before September of this year?
I cannot guarantee that it will be changed before September, but the matter is being looked at. The Deputy knows that appeals posted up to and including 31 December are accepted and if there is any justification after that for late appeals they are looked at sympathetically.
(Cavan-Monaghan): It is the worst month of the year for getting business done and the Minister knows that.