NEW FIGURES SHOW that over 68,000 households in Ireland have now paid the controversial household charge in the first month since it came into effect at the start of the year.

As of 4pm yesterday, figures from the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) show that 68,045 households have registered to pay the €100 charge – equating to over €6.8million in revenue for the government which hopes to raise €160 million in total.

Homeowners must pay the €100 annual charge or set up a direct debit before the 1 March after which they will have a month to pay the charge in full or else face fines of as much as 30 per cent.

“There’s been no problems since the slight glitch on the first day. I know that we’re happy with the progress so far,” a spokesperson for the LGMA told TheJournal.ie today.

The controversial charge is the subject of a campaign by politicians and activists who are urging people not to pay the flat tax which is an interim measure before the introduction of a graduated property tax.

The Environment Minister Phil Hogan said yesterday that a group of officials from the civil service would examine how a property tax could be implemented. He said they would report back to him by April of this year with a view to implementing the charge in 2013 or 2014.

Hogan said he hoped to implement the new system “as soon as possible” and said that the new tax would be based on the value of the property, insisting it would be “equitable”.

Property tax to replace household charge ‘as soon as possible’

Column: Why the household charge is a ‘gateway tax’

Nearly a quarter don’t know if they’re liable for household charge – poll