Under section 3 of the Local Government Finance Act (Northern Ireland) 2011, ‘in each financial year a council shall cause to be submitted to it estimates of the income and expenditure of the council during the next financial year…..and shall fix for the next financial year the amount estimated to be raised by means of rates made by the council.’

Rates are a levy on your property. The income collected by Land and Property Services (LPS) from rates on domestic and business properties provides funding for services at a local level i.e. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council area, and a regional (Northern Ireland wide) level.

The total rates bill levied on ratepayers is made up of the District Rate, which is set by the Council and the Regional Rate which Central Government determines.

The District Rate funds Council expenditure on service areas such as leisure and recreation, environmental, planning and development as well as capital programmes. Regional rates help fund services such as water, sewerage, roads, education and housing.

More information on domestic rating is available at nidirect – a guide to rates