Rate increase and water charges could save £3bn in NI, says Treasury


Pay parity is the principle that public sector workers in Northern Ireland, such as teachers and nurses, should get broadly equivalent pay to those in other parts of the UK.

The breaking of parity for some jobs in recent years had led to strikes and other industrial action.

The Treasury review also considers revenue raising options.

It suggests that raising domestic rates, a property tax on houses, to match the level of council tax in England would raise more than £400m a year.

That would see the typical rates bill rise from around £1,200 to almost £1,800.

It suggests that on top of that introducing water charges of around £465 per household would bring in a further £357m.

The review was originally intended to be a joint exercise between the Treasury and the NI Department of Finance.

In the end it was a Treasury only report.

A senior official recently told MLAs that the Department of Finance effectively withdrew because it was not given the time to check the Treasury’s assumptions and calculations.



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