By: D Collins Independent Journalist
Across Ireland, ordinary families are being squeezed harder than ever. The cost of living has soared, local services are being slashed, and now, County Councils are increasing the Local Property Tax (LPT) once again a move many see as the final insult.
What began as a tax to fund essential services has morphed into a burden on communities that are getting less and less in return. Meanwhile, the national broadcaster, RTÉ once trusted to hold power to account is now seen by many as a government mouthpiece, paid for by yet another tax and failing to ask the tough questions.
More Tax, Less Service
In counties like Cork, Limerick, and Dublin, residents have reported increased property tax bills year after year but the services they were promised continue to vanish.
Waste collection services are reduced or outsourced to private companies, leaving families to pay again for bin tags or private collection.
Green spaces are neglected, parks are overgrown, and public gardening services are almost nonexistent in some towns.
Youth services and community centres that once hosted afterschool programs or safe spaces for teens have been cut or shut down due to “budget pressures.”
Fire brigade response times have increased in rural areas due to underfunding and staff shortages, putting lives at risk.
Gardaí numbers are down, with community policing now almost non-existent in some areas. This has coincided with a marked rise in anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and open drug use.
What Does This Mean for the Average Family?
For families like the Murphys in Tallaght, the reality is brutal:
“We’re now paying over €500 a year in property tax,” says Rachel Murphy, a mother of three. “We used to have a local youth club that helped our eldest stay out of trouble after school. That’s closed now. My bin charges have gone up, my road hasn’t been resurfaced in 20 years, and now we’re told the tax is going up again?”
In rural Galway, Tom and Aine Keegan care for Aine’s elderly mother in their home. “There used to be a council-run meals on wheels service. That stopped during COVID and never came back. We now pay more tax for services that don’t exist,” says Tom. “And we can’t get a hold of our local councillor unless it’s during business hours. What’s going on?”
Where’s the Money Going?
Ironically, while services vanish, spending inside local government is on the rise. Councillors once volunteers serving their community are now classified as “temporary employees” in many councils, entitled to salaries, allowances, and expenses. In Dublin City Council alone, councillors receive a basic allowance of over €25,000 a year not including expenses or committee payments.
Meanwhile, budget transparency is poor. Councils allocate tens of millions to “consultancy fees,” communications, and internal restructuring, while public amenities rot.
Media No Longer the Fifth Estate
The media, traditionally known as the “fifth estate” for its role in holding government to account, now appears to many as a compliant arm of the State. RTÉ, the national broadcaster, continues to demand licence fees from struggling households or risk legal action. Yet it has been heavily criticised for its lack of critical reporting on LPT hikes, cost-of-living pressures, or the growing crisis in local services.
Instead, airtime is given to sanitised soundbites from ministers and pre-packaged press releases from local authorities, often unchallenged. Alternative voices community advocates, whistleblowers, and residents themselves are rarely heard.
The Human Cost: Drugs, Despair, and Disconnect
In urban and rural communities alike, the collapse in services is having a tragic knock-on effect.
Drug abuse is exploding. Without youth clubs, early intervention programs, or even simple public facilities to occupy vulnerable teenagers, entire generations are at risk. In some Dublin estates, heroin and crack cocaine are openly sold in daylight while Gardaí numbers dwindle and patrols become rare.
Elderly people are isolated. Cuts to public transport and community outreach have left many without access to clinics, food, or social contact.
Parents are burned out. With no affordable childcare, closed libraries, rising energy prices, and underfunded schools, more families are falling through the cracks and slipping into quiet poverty.
An Unfair Future
And now, as if all this weren’t enough, the property tax is set to rise again.
“It’s like being punished for owning a home,” says Seamus Byrne, a retired firefighter from Waterford. “I worked all my life, paid every tax they asked. Now I’m paying more to get less, and no one in power seems to care.”
There is growing anger, not just at the taxes themselves, but at the lack of accountability, the vanishing public services, and the eerie silence from the media.
A Tipping Point Approaches
Ireland’s social contract where people pay tax in exchange for essential services, safety, and opportunity is being eroded. Communities feel betrayed. Many fear that unless there’s a radical shift in how government is held accountable, and how media fulfils its duty, things will only get worse.
Real journalism starts by asking: Where is our money going? And more importantly, who is benefiting if not the people?