Sinn Féin spokesperson on Finance, Pearse Doherty TD, has described the government’s decision to once again defer the Residential Zoned Land Tax as a boon for land hoarders in the midst of a housing crisis.

The Donegal TD said that the government’s decision was caused by its abject failure to exempt actively farmed land from the tax for three years.

Teachta Doherty said:

“The government’s decision to delay a land tax that is aimed at land hoarders who are sitting on land that should be developed to build much needed housing is a disgraceful one.

“Let’s be clear – this is a direct result of this government’s abject failure over the past three years to exempt actively farmed land from this tax.

“I first raised this issue in 2021 – three years ago – with the Minister for Finance when the legislation for this tax was first introduced.

“I warned of the impact the tax would have on farmers and agriculture if agricultural land was captured by this tax.

“The Minister and the government did nothing to resolve the issue for two years.

“Last year I again raised the issue with the Minister for Finance at Committee Stage of the Finance Bill.

“I called on the Minister for Finance to exempt agricultural land from the tax – protecting farmers and allowing the tax to be introduced to tackle land hoarding and ensure that homes could be built in communities right across the State.

“Instead, the government did nothing and delayed the tax for another year as their housing crisis deepened.

“Sinn Féin has repeatedly raised this problem with the government for the past three years but no action was taken.

“That the government has again delayed this tax for another year is a boon to land hoarders and will only deepen their housing crisis.

“The government has had three years to exempt actively farmed land from this tax.

“As a result of their inaction and ineptitude, land hoarders have another year to sit on land that should be developed to build homes.

“Through a toxic mix of political opportunism, inaction and ineptitude, the government has chosen to worsen the housing crisis and hand land hoarders and speculators another free pass.”