Thom's Directory - What do the monetary values signify

ambros1a

The attached file is a page from Thom's Dublin Street Directory 1980 that I photographed in the National Library. Some of the names have a column with a monetary amount while others don't. I notice that this is a feature of earlier editions also. I wonder if anybody could tell me what these amounts represent? Are the people with amounts beside their names owners and the people without amounts tenants? 

I did check the directory itself to see if there were instructions but could find anything. The staff in the NLI didn't know. An email I sent was forwarded to the genealogical office there but they didn't know either.

gipi

Something to do with rateable valuations? Or ground rent if the properties were leasehold?

Mick Tator

Yes, it’s ‘Rateable Valuation’. Properties were’ rated’ at an assessed value. Then the local authority ‘struck’ a rate annually to raise funds for local services e.g. £11 in the £, meaning that for every £ of valuation you had to pay £11, so a house with an RV of £24 had to pay 24 x 11 = £264. It was an early form of property tax, done away with by a FF govt in 1977. An election ploy that worked. Central government instead provided the funding. Property tax was introduced by a FG/Labour coalition in the 1980’s - Richie Ryan was Finance Minister and was nicknamed 'Red Ritchie'. It was very inequitable and if you were selfemployed and could juggle your income you escaped. A former Taoiseach opened his home ( a listed building) to the public for 40 days annually so didn't have to pay. Another ex-Taoiseach divided his house into two, he owned downstairs and his son owned upstairs, so two separate peoperties, below taxation level, therefor he escaped also! That was discarded and later the current Local Proerpty Tax (LPT) was introduced.

Kalimah

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058288589/thoms-directory-what-do-the-monetary-values-signify

I had a quick look at that page out of curiosity. Amused to see it’s the road my husband grew up on! If you’d photocopied a bit further down into the houses numbered into the 80s his dad would have been listed😀

ambros1a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120368100#Comment_120368100

Thanks for the explanation Mick - very helpful. A lot of people on this street seemed to avoid having to pay rates. Any ideas how I can investigate this further?

ambros1a

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120368129#Comment_120368129

I did Kalimah! I cropped it for my question as I am interested in lower nos in Barton Road East.

Mick Tator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120373024#Comment_120373024

I'd guess that the £23-25 shown is a catch-all, covering all the listed properties. Rates were before my time as a property owner but my memory is that there was no escaping them - there was a chap called a rate collector. It was a civil process, before IT and being able to 'attach' your income via PAYE, like Revenue can now do with LPT. It's not unique to Ireland, France has 'Taxe d'habitation' (which a renter is obliged to pay) and an employer can be ordered to deduct it from your salary. In the US, certainly in New York State, the property tax is part of your mortgage repayment, taken by the bank and then paid by it to the taxman. Death and taxes, the two inevitabilities!