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THE Minister for Finance has warned that “every property owner” will be asked to pay “at least a small amount more” in tax from next year.

The majority of households will be forced to fork up between €25 and €5 more for Local Property Tax every year under the rule change.

Niall Carson/PA Wire

Revaluations of properties are due to take place on November 1, with the next valuation starting up in 2025 for a duration of five years.

Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said: “The valuation bands will be widened in line with property price growth that we have seen in recent years, and the base rate of local property tax will be amended.

“The widening of the bands will ensure most property owners will remain in the valuation band that they are currently in.”

The price of property has risen by 23 per cent since the last local property tax valuation period in 2021, according to the Central Statistics Office.

This enormous jump in property prices would mean that almost 70 per cent of homes would climb at least one tax band and face significantly increased payments.

For example, a property valued at €400,000 in 2021 was in Value Band Four which is a basic rate of €405 per year.

This same property would now be worth €492,000 and would jump into Value Band 5 with a tax rate of €495 per year – a €90 increase.

The proposed changes to LPT will mean that most homeowners will remain in their present valuation bands – but base LPT charges will be hiked in proportion to property values.

With these changes in place, some 97 per cent of properties are expected to stay within the same band.

The remaining three per cent of properties will climb just one tax band.

A small number of properties will pay a much larger amount than before, either as a result of moving valuation band, or due to their existing high value.

However, the “majority” of people, those with properties valued at €525,000 or lower, will pay between €5 and €25 more for LPT each year.

Minister Donohoe said: “Given the growth in property prices in recent years, the proposed changes are fair, progressive, and will ensure consistency and stability in the upcoming valuation period.”

“By asking property owners to contribute a small amount more than they do at present, LPT is projected to yield in the realm of €45 million or eight per cent in additional funding for local authorities, which will go towards local services.

“The majority of property owners, being those with properties valued at €525,000 or lower on 1 November 2025, will pay between €5 and €25 extra a year.”

The Fine Gael TD said the Programme for Government commits to “fairness stability” in LPT payments, explaining that the new charging mechanism will prevent “a significant increase in liabilities for most households”.

Minister Donohoe intends to have the Bill enacted before the summer recess to enable the Revenue Commissioners to make the necessary preparations in advance of the valuation date.

He said: “The next step is to prepare the legislation to implement these changes to allow Revenue make the necessary preparations for the valuation of residential properties and the introduction of the new charging structure.”

The income thresholds for deferral of LPT will be adjusted to account for inflation, wage growth and increases in State payments since 2021.

This decision follows a recommendation made by the 2019 Review Group on LPT.

The existing thresholds will increase by between 30 per cent and 40 per cent, depending on personal status and whether the threshold is in respect of full or partial deferral.

A 110-year-old lemon used by a German WW1 spy to send secret messages from Britain with invisible ink is going on display in MI5’s first ever public exhibition.

The blackened and flattened fruit was one of two lemons found on enemy agent Karl Muller in 1915 after he was arrested for spying.

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Muller came into the country from Belgium in January that year posing as a Russian shipping broker.

He pierced lemons with a pen nib to extract the juice and insert secret writing in innocent-looking letters informing his handlers of troop movements.

Postal workers became suspicious about a letter addressed to a PO Box in Rotterdam and alerted an MI5 officer who pressed a warm iron on the writing to reveal the messages.

Muller was arrested by police at his lodgings in Bloomsbury, central London, where one lemon was found in his overcoat pocket and another – cut into three segments – was seized from a drawing table drawer.

The National Archives curator Mark Dunton said: “An officer asked him ‘what have you got this for?’

“He pointed to his teeth and said ‘I use it to clean my teeth.’ Perhaps not surprisingly, they didn’t believe him.”

The lemon from the table drawer was wrapped in cotton wool and has been preserved in a cardboard surrounding.

It is part of the exhibition – MI5 : Official Secrets – opening on Saturday at The National Archives, in Kew, West London.

Muller had an assistant, German baker John Hann, who was arrested at his home in Deptford, South London, where a severed lemon with pen pricks was also found.

Both spies were secretly tried at the Old Bailey in April 1915 where an expert gave evidence that forensic matter found on a pen nib matched one of the seized lemons.

Hann was jailed for seven years while Muller was sentenced to be shot by a firing squad at the Tower of London.

Following Muller’s execution, crafty MI5 officers then hoodwinked German intelligence by continuing to send fabricated reports with misleading information to them in Antwerp.

The Germans continued to send over money for their deceased agent which MI5 used to purchase a two-seater Morris car – which they called ‘The Muller’ – on surveillance jobs.

Curator Mr Dunton said: “They were reprimanded by the Treasury for unauthorised use of funds.”

MI5 was formed in 1909 amid fears of a war with Germany and its early history documented in the exhibition reveals how women were trusted more than men.

Girl guides were used instead of boy scouts to run messages as they were deemed more reliable while the fledgling agency used women to run its registry of cards on enemy suspects and subversives.

Documents reveal how MI5 targeted fascists and Marxists 1930’s and a cloned key to the Community Party of Great Britain’s HQ – used by spooks to check on its members – is on display.

The story of MI5’s greatest triumph – duping Hitler over the landing site for the D-Day invasion in 1944 – is also told.

Official papers from double agents used to con the Germans into believing the Normandy landings were taking place at Calais, are on display with photographs of the heroes.

A briefcase belonging to Cambridge spy ring member Guy Burgess is also being shown in public for the first time.

It was one of two left behind by Burgess at the Reform Club when he defected to Russia with fellow traitor Donald Maclean in 1951.

Ring member Anthony Blunt, the Queen’s Picture Surveyor, collected one of the cases and gave it to MI5 after removing damning correspondence and papers.

MI5 officers collected the other case from the club which contained papers missed by Blunt and is now being displayed.

MI6 counter-espionage chief Kim Philby and Treasury civil servant John Cairncross were the other two members of the ring.

Original documents from their cases are also shown, including an original note from a confession Philby made in Beirut before he defected to Moscow in 1963.

There is also a copy of a letter in which a Soviet intelligence officer offered to defect in Istanbul and reveal British traitors – before being kidnapped by Russians alerted by Philby and taken back to Moscow with his wife to be executed.

An original radio transmitter, found buried in a Ruislip garden of two members of the Portland Spy Ring in the 1960’s, has been loaned by GCHQ for the exhibition.

The Soviet ring penetrated the Royal Navy’s Underwater Detection Establishment in Portland, Dorset, to obtain secrets about submarines.

They used two hollowed-out talcum power tins containing secret compartments for storing microdot messages, one of which is on display.

There are also files on show from the Klaus Fuchs atomic espionage case.

The exhibition charts MI5’s move into combatting terrorism from the 1970’s with exhibits including one of the mortar rockets fired at Downing Street by the IRA in 1991.

And there are papers on the 1988 Lockerbie disaster and the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London.

MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum said the agency had released 6000 paper records to the country’s public records since 1997.

He said they provide “a unique glimpse into our operations and investigations, and shedding new light on our history.”

Sir Ken added: “From MI5’s origins as a team of two officers to the present day, we’ve been protecting the UK from the most serious threats to our national security for 115 years.

“That headline mission, and the values that underpin it, haven’t changed much. But how we keep the country safe is always evolving, always dynamic, always fascinating.”

Sir Ken stressed the reality of MI5’s work “is often different from fiction – whether that fiction is George Smiley or Jackson Lamb.”

He went on: “MI5 life is about ordinary human beings together doing extraordinary things to keep our country safe.

“Some of their stories and their perspectives come through in this exhibition and while much of our work must remain secret, what you’ll see today reflects our ongoing commitment to being open wherever we can.”

Saul Nassé, Chief Executive and Keeper of Public Records, said the exhibition is the result of “a unique collaboration” with MI5.

He said the stories which are told “spans the spectrum” of MI5’s role in protecting the UK, but added “the stories that caught my eye are the stories of individuals” – those of the officers and the spies they chased.

MI5: Official Secrets runs from Saturday 5 April to Sunday 28 September at The National Archives.

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A WOMAN has revealed the incredible moment she was able to hold her dead twin’s hands again after they were donated to an amputee.

Deborah Gosling’s sister Julie Wild died suddenly from a brain bleed in 2019, aged 51.

This Morning/ITV

Deborah Gosling, right, can still hold her dead sister’s hands after they were donated[/caption]

This Morning/ITV

Quadruple amputee Corinne Hutton underwent a 12-hour surgery to have the hands attached[/caption]

This Morning/ITV

Julie Wild died suddenly from a brain bleed in 2019[/caption]

Deborah, from Sheffield, and healthcare worker Julie’s twin sons – Sam and Tom – immediately agreed to donate her organs and hands to save other lives.

Paying tribute to her sister, she said: “Julie was a beautiful soul, very kind, caring, loving natured, do anything for anybody. She worked all her life in healthcare.

“She was absolutely perfect. My best friend in the whole world.”

And she reunited with the recipient of her sibling’s hands, Corinne Hutton, in emotional scenes on This Morning today.

Corinne, from Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, lost hers to sepsis in 2013 along with her legs.

She waited four-and-a-half years for the perfect hands to present themselves for a transplant.

Surgeons then worked tirelessly for 12 hours to attach Julie’s hands to Corinne’s body and she now has almost full feeling in them, and they have transformed her life.

“I get so excited about my hands,” said Corinne.

“I’m so proud of them, but never ever do I think of my hands without thinking of Julie and what the other family went through.”

Deborah added: “Absolutely amazing. When you die your organs and limbs are no good to you and if it can change someone’s life, evidently.”

The pair then held hands as Deborah said: “They’re still Julie’s hands to me. It’s amazing. They couldn’t have gone to anybody better.”

Visibly emotional host Cat Deeley gushed: “Until I read about this incredible story, I had no idea that there was even the medical capability to be able to do it.

“It is absolutely miraculous.”

Meanwhile, co-host Ben Shephard added: “You’re holding on to her. It’s wonderful. It’s magical.

“And Corinne, it’s lovely to see you thriving and flourishing as you always do. It’s brilliant.”

Julie Wild’s hands, pancreas, liver, and both kidneys were all donated after she died.

Her sister is now campaigning for people to opt-in for limb donation.

This Morning/ITV

Deborah and Corinne held hands as they appeared on This Morning[/caption]

ITV

Cat Deeley was visibly emotional over the story[/caption]

She said: “To give somebody a chance of enhancing their life is absolutely incredible. I didn’t hesitate. Julie didn’t need them any more but someone else did.

“I always wanted to meet Corinne and I will always keep in touch.

“It’s hard to describe but it’s quite comforting to know someone has got her hands, that part of her lives on in a way.

“I couldn’t take my eyes off them when we met.”

Corinne added: “I was hopeful that, for Deborah, holding the hands and touching and seeing them would give them some light after an otherwise dark situation.”

She now has about 95% function in her right hand and about 75% in her left hand.

“The difference the transplant has made has been absolutely life-changing,” she said.

“I’m so grateful to Julie and her family. I’ll never forget that I am lucky and I will never forget where they’ve come from. And hopefully I will give them a good life.”

ANTO BRESLIN has warned St Pat’s rivals that they are top of the table without hitting top gear.

The Saints scored twice in the last three minutes to defeat Waterford 2-1 last Friday and take top spot from Drogheda United who were held by Cork City.

Given they won their final nine games of 2024 to climb from seventh to third, the sight of Stephen Kenny’s side setting the pace this year may not come as a surprise.

But the Saints have already lost two — to Galway United and Shamrock Rovers — of their first seven matches.

And, ahead of defending champions Shelbourne’s visit to Richmond Park on Friday, Breslin, 28, admitted that they have not yet hit their stride.

He said: “Our performance Friday wasn’t good enough, we started really slow and it’s very unlike us.

“Our performances have been quite good, but not as good as the end of last year.

“We’ve had a few lads come into the team and they are still adapting to the way we want to play.

“We haven’t been playing well but it is a good thing if you’re not playing really, really well and still winning games, we’ll take it.”

The left-back admitted that they had been left in no doubt that their display at the RSC was not up to scratch.

Breslin said: “Stephen Kenny, he demands high standards in everything he does and definitely he wasn’t happy with the performance.

“At half-time he let us know about it for sure. After the game and scoring the 90th-minute winner, you’re not dissecting the game, you’re still high after winning a game that you probably weren’t great in for 80 minutes.

“But then we come in Monday morning and analyse and work on things we could have done better, and what we will do better going forward.”

And Breslin does expect it to be difficult for any team to build up a head of steam because of the increased competitiveness of the Premier Division.

He said: “I think it will be like this all year. It’s a mad league.

“Everyone is taking points off each other and I think that will continue for the year.

“Whoever, I suppose, can be the most consistent and can bounce back from when they do have a bad defeat will probably go on to win the league.

“I don’t think there’s going to be a team that is going to completely run away with it.

“The standard is really good, all the teams are playing well and have really good players from all over the world so it’s going to be an exciting league.”

It is a far cry from his first introduction to the League of Ireland when he signed for Longford Town ahead of the 2019 season having been released by Wolves the previous summer.

Breslin recalled: “It was difficult because you come in from a full-time, Premier League set-up to part-time at Longford. I found it quite hard.

“But you just want to get back playing. I had stopped a while, a few months, and I was just buzzing to get back.

“It was just the way the season fell. We finished up in June, there was no point in me going in for five or six games.

“I said I’d rather go in straight away in pre-season so, no, there was never a thought of not coming back.

“I wanted to get my foot on the ladder again, getting back into the League of Ireland, getting my name out there because I wouldn’t say when I first came back that many people knew who I was.”

He made an instant impression, being named in the PFA Ireland First Division Team of the Year and earning a move to Bohs, for whom he shone in Europe and helped reach an FAI Cup final in 2021.

They were defeated on penalties by St Pat’s who completed the signing of Breslin shortly afterwards.

When the clubs met again in the 2023 decider, he was on the winning side.

The defender said: “I was always confident in my ability. I knew if I had a good run of games and got fit I’d get to this level.

“I suppose when I came into the league it was starting to really grow and it’s a great time to be part of the league with everything that is going on.

“On and off the pitch, it seems to be going really well.”

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