23 February 2007
Northern Ireland's 26 district councils have fixed their rates for 2007/08 – the first to be based on properties' capital values as at January 2005 rather than nominal rental values.
Following the change, there are major variations between average domestic rate bills compared with 2006/07. The rate in Belfast, the largest local authority area, is rising by 20%. However, it is falling by 4% in Craigavon. The non-domestic rate system is unchanged and most councils set above-inflation increases in their business rates.
The bill paid by households and businesses is the combined total of the councils' district rate and the regional rate, set by the province's Department of Finance and Personnel. The DFP has raised the domestic regional rate by 6% and its business rate by 3.3%.
David Hanson, Northern Ireland's finance minister, said: 'The change… will result in more than £20m in additional investment in public services.'
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