The dawning of a new financial year means
that thousands of business people and
householders across the county can
approach their letter boxes with unwavering
certainty that their rates bill will soon be at
their feet.That’s the bad news. The good news is that compared to other areas of
Northern Ireland, the rate payer in Fermanagh has not done too badly. For the
domestic rate, Fermanagh has the third lowest rate in Northern Ireland and for
the non-domestic rate it is the lowest out of all 26 councils across the
Province.
Householders will open their bills to discover that the amount owing for rates
for the coming year has gone up by 5.2 per cent.
The total domestic rate for 2002/03 is 233.87 pence in the pound. This
comprises a district rate of 101.4 pence, which has increased by 2.94 per cent
and the regional rate of 132.47 pence, which has increased by seven per
cent.
Fermanagh District Council receives 43 per cent of the total rates paid by
domestic ratepayers in Fermanagh while the remaining 57 per cent goes to
central government. At 233.87 pence, Fermanagh’s domestic rate is nine per
cent below the Northern Ireland average. The district rate element — set by
the Council — is 18.5 per cent below the Northern Ireland average.
For non-domestic, or business rate payers, the rate for 2002/03 is 46.13
pence in the pound, representing a 3.18 per cent increase. This comprises a
district rate of 14.71 pence, which has increased by 2.94 per cent and a
regional rate of 31.42 pence, representing a 3.3 per cent increase.
Fermanagh District Council is to receive 32 per cent of the total rates paid by
non domestic rate payers in Fermanagh with the remaining 68 per cent going
to central government. The total rate of 46.13 pence in Fermanagh is 9.6 per
cent below the Northern Ireland average and the district rate element is 25 per
cent below the Northern Ireland average.
