Residents join forces in bid to fight €200 NPPR charge
FIVE RESIDENTS of Tottenham Estate properties have joined forces to form a Residents Association to fight the €200 NPPR charge being forced upon them.
Following a meeting of Tottenham Estate residents on Monday night in the Youth Centre, this five person committee has been elected to act as a voice of opposition against the second home tax, which residents are being forced to pay despite not owning any property in the first instance.
Monday night's meeting follows a previous meeting held in November which was organised by the former Cathaoirleach of New Ross Town Council Ingrid O'brien and Independent Councillor Bobby Dunphy and attended by around twenty concerned Rossonians as well as solicitor Simon Kennedy.
November's meeting followed on foot of a letter issued by Tottenham Estates in October to around fifty leasees informing residents they will now have to pay a Non Principal Private Residence (NPPR) charge, despite tenants not owning any property in the first instance.
According to Tottenham Estates the 2009 and 2010 charges were paid by them, however from this year onwards the Estate say they are 'not in a position' to absorb the charge and have 'no option' but to pass it on to their leasees in accordance with their lease.
According to Ingrid O'brien, the day after the November meeting residents received invoices for €200 in miscellaneous charges from Tottenham Estates.
'I'm sure it was coincidental that it came the day after the meeting,' said Ingrid, adding that this charge is the NPPR charge simply called by another name.
'They couldn't call it a NPPR charge because that's obviously not their charge to pass on so they put it as Miscellaneous in the hope that people naively might pay it,' added Ingrid, who said that residents who received these letters have agreed not to pay the charge. 'It is not their debt,' she added. Following this invoice the newly formed Residents Association are now investigating how much, legally, Tottenham's may increase their rents and leases in a bid to recoup this charge by other means, according to Ingrid.
During Monday night's meeting the €100 household charge also came up for discussion, with it emerging that some tenants are in a position where they will have to pay the charge, whereas others won't.
The Residents Association are now also tasked with contacting the Threshold National Housing Charity to obtain in-depth and accurate information in relation to this issue.
The committee are to meet in a fortnight's time and if they have sufficient information obtained in relation to these charges by then they will be calling a meeting for the wider group of Tottenham Estate residents to further their campaign against the charge being imposed on them.
- ELAINE FURLONG
