Developers paid more than €500 million to the the State's local authorities in planning permission levies last year. Fingal County Council has collected the most from the scheme in the last five years, figures from the Department of Environment show.
The figures for 2000-05, seen by the Irish Times, show that the overall amount collected has risen every year. Between 2000 and 2004, the local authorities collected €936,119,170 in planning permission levies.
Dublin local authorities have collected most in levies attached to planning permissions during the past five years. Unsurprisingly, councils in the Dublin and greater Dublin areas feature prominently at the top end of the list.
The biggest earner over the period is Fingal County Council.
In 2000-04, it collected €103,962,285 in levies. Cork County Council is second on the list, though earning almost €30 million less than the council in Fingal.
Estimates for 2005 show that Fingal received €50,780,348 in levies.
But they also reveal that Dublin City Council has for the first time overtaken - by almost €8 million - its Fingal counterpart in the amount taken.
Dublin City Council received more than € 58 million in levies during 2004-05, double its take for the previous year.
Wexford and Wicklow councils both earned more than €30 million in 2005, almost triple the previous year's amount.
The 2000 Planning and Development Act broadened the range of infrastructure and projects that could be funded by levies on private and commercial development. Since then local authorities have been able to use that provision to establish contribution schemes.
Among the five city councils, Dublin has earned the most from levies. Though some way behind the capital, Galway and Cork come next, earning more than €25 million. They are followed by Limerick and Waterford city councils.
Meath, South Dublin, Kildare, Louth, Wexford and Galway are among the councils which have earned substantial monies from their contribution schemes.
Councils in the northwest fared worst. Monaghan collected the least amount, under € 5 million, in levies in 2000-04, followed by Leitrim, Longford, Cavan, Sligo and Mayo which all collected under € 10 million.
Clare County Council and Galway City Council are the only local authorities which recorded a drop in the levies collected in 2004-05.
TOP 10: council levy income 2000-2004
Fingal €103,962,285
Cork €75,569,454
Meath €73,360,358
Dublin City €65,773,805
South Dublin €56,007,548
Kildare €52,991,303
Louth €43,637,132
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown €40,061,800
Wicklow €36,753,499
Wexford €35,756,856