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Sam Boal

Poll: Should the Government introduce a vacant property tax?

The Social Democrats are calling for a vacant property tax to be introduced.

THE SOCIAL DEMOCRATS are holding their party conference this weekend, with proposals on cost-of-living measures and housing taking priority.

Alongside a full three-year rent freeze, the party are calling for the introduction of a vacant property tax to push landowners to bring properties back onto the housing market.

With this in mind, we want to know your thoughts on the matter.

Should the Government introduce a vacant property tax?


Poll Results:

Yes (11890)
No (3895)
I'm not sure/no opinion (748)

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121 Comments
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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:22 PM

    Every single person voting yes on this, is a person that doesn’t own a second property and I dare say, every single one of them would object to a tax on some asset they own, but don’t use.. like cash in their bank account, or their car sitting idle (most of the time), or a room in their home, or space in their garden. These are all things we buy from already taxed earnings.

    People should be free to do what ever they wish, with the assets they worked for. They should be incentivised to use them, not punished for not doing so

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:27 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Totally agree

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    Mute Smithweiser
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:42 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: You totally missed the point here. It’s about derelict and vacant property. If you bought property with your hard earned money you are not just going to leave it vacant are you? And if you are then you are weird.

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:44 PM

    @Smithweiser: there’s a simple concept called capital appreciation… Google it.

    There are lots of valid reasons for leaving assets (property included) idle

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    Mute D74Life
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:48 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Yep, because having a vacant property and having a car that you park sometimes is the same thing… You’re missing the point. The tax is to force speculators and property horders to sell during a national housing crisis.

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    Mute John Barry
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:53 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Exactly!!!

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:57 PM

    @D74Life: the assumption that every vacant property is owned by a speculator or border is infantile.

    Yes we have a housing crisis, but is this the solution? It’s easy for everyone to jump on the bandwagon as long as they don’t have a second property or if the tex doesn’t impact them.

    The government could tax every single unused asset, like cars, and use that money to build social housing? That’s another possible solution? (An equally bad one)

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    Mute D74Life
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:14 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Comparing an unused property tax to a parked car is what’s infantile. Plenty of people own multiple properties and so long as they use them there’s nothing wrong with that. Rent them out, do what you want. The tax is only aimed at those who sit on empty properties during a housing crisis. It’s not radical.

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:39 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: the point just flew o et your head didn’t it?

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:39 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: the point just flew over your head didn’t it?

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    Mute Tony Harris
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:04 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: oh, Ciaran, you are wrong! I agree with the tax. I am sitting on a vacant, near derelict property. I can’t afford to do it up. Because of a right of resistance clause for someone entering their 96 year and resident in a care home, I can’t sell. I think the term snookered is apt. However, I fully agree with any incentive that frees up even a small percentage of property, residential or commercial, to help house people or at the very least bring down the price of property.

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:10 PM

    @Tony Harris: this isn’t an incentive.. it’s a punishment. An incentive would be a grant for doing up derelict properties to allow them being rented, or a tax allowance if properties are rented

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:12 PM

    @D74Life: then why not tax empty rooms in houses, particularly social housing, as is done in the UK? I dare say there are a lot more empty rooms In Ireland than there are vacant properties

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    Mute Patrick FitzGerald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:29 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: capital appreciation of a scarce resource during a desperate crisis is morally repugnant. Anyone who does it is intentionally enriching him or herself at the direct cost of making life miserable for an entire swathe of the Irish population. Furthermore, treating residential property as an “asset” rather than a home is one of the most morally repugnant activities humanity has normalised, and something we simply shouldn’t tolerate as a society.

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:33 PM

    @Patrick FitzGerald: so taxing it, somehow makes it less morally repugnant?

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    Mute William O’Connor
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:05 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: This is a straw man argument. Nobody is suggesting a tax on things like unused bedrooms, unused vehicles or cash in a bank account.

    This is about derelict properties specifically. Taxing them will help tackle multiple problems in a housing crisis like introducing properties into the market for sale or incentivising landlords to refurbish derelict properties to put them into the rental market.

    It will disincentivise individuals and companies from hoarding property for a period of time for it to appreciate in value which does benefit anyone in the community and we’ve all seen the eye sores that are derelict properties. This is a win win for everyone except greedy landowners

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    Mute William O’Connor
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:12 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: This is a straw man argument. Nobody is saying that the problem is related to the government taxing spare bedrooms, unused vehicles or cash in an individuals bank account.

    Taxing vacant property has multiple benefits for any community by incentivising the introduction of property into the market for sale or rent as well as disincentivise landowners from hoarding property so that it can appreciate in value.

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:14 PM

    @William O’Connor: why aren’t people suggesting a tax on unused bedrooms? It’s a tax that’s in operation in the UK and it would have far more impact, particularly in the short term, on the housing crisis.

    Guaranteed all the people would vote slightly differently if that option was given to them

    It’s amazing how “greed” is always attributed to landlords and land owners. If you buy something for x, wait a period of time and sell it for x+profit it’s the exact same as a person buying a property and selling it later for a profit

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    Mute Patrick FitzGerald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:55 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Taxing it discourages and punishes the morally repugnant behaviour, ergo making people less likely to engage in it. Surely this is obvious as the ultimate aim of such a tax?

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    Mute Aurelio Na Fodhla
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:57 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: my cat uses my spare room and also guests at times…..should I pay extra tax for wanting some spare space in my apartment?

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:59 PM

    @Patrick FitzGerald: the aim of the tax is to try and free up properties for rent. It has nothing to do with “moral repugnant” behaviour

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:59 PM

    @Aurelio Na Fodhla: my cat stays in my empty property sometimes too

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    Mute Patrick FitzGerald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:59 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: There’s a clear and obvious difference between individual housing units and rooms within a unit which all share common living spaces, utilities, etc. You’re comparing apples and oranges when comparing somebody buying a single dwelling with multiple rooms and people buying entirely separate dwellings with no intention of actually using them for any purpose other than generating passive income.

    As to your last paragraph, buying something which is in desperately short supply and which you don’t have a personal use for in order to gouge a profit for it *is* immoral, with property or anything else. Remember at the beginning of the pandemic when there were reports of people bulk-buying PPE to re-sell at extortionate prices to desperate healthcare services? Or people bulk-buying tickets to popular concerts or sporting events in order to re-sell them at extortionate prices? Both of those are universally condemned as morally obscene, and the latter has recently been legislated against right here in Ireland, by the current government.

    If a discretionary activity such as going to a concert can be given protection against price gouging by hoarding scalpers, it’s utterly illogical to suggest that residential property shouldn’t also be. And that’s exactly what those who use property as an investment vehicle are – scalpers.

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    Mute Patrick FitzGerald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:01 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Exactly, the aim is to free up properties for rent – by making a particular behaviour unattractive through punitive taxation for those who engage in it. The entire point is to make hoarding unattractive, because those who propose and support such a tax believe that this behaviour is wrong and detrimental to society.

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:01 PM

    @Patrick FitzGerald: bulk buying tickets is morally obscene??? It’s profiteering and unfair… but morally obscene? Lol

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:51 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Otherwise known as speculation and part of the problem.

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    Mute Antaine O'Labhradha
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:52 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: I own a second property. It is never not used. Because I need the income it generates. I agree totally with a vacant property tax. You say people rich enough to own second properties outright should be incentivised to use them. I agree. What better incentive than not paying a vacant property tax is there? Buildings are meant to be kept in regular use and well-maintained. Not lie vacant. As for the things you say non-property owners would object to, I rather think are taxed already. Interest is payable on bank interest, one pays the requisite car taxes and insurance whether it sits in a garage all the time or is used every day. Extra income from renting out rooms is subject to tax. Indeed, ALL income is taxed, whether they take it from you before you get it or you pay tax[es] when you spend it. Property owners don’t deserve preferential treatment over non-owners. Two things only in life are guaranteed – death and taxes. Stop your moaning. Let’s tax properties which are left vacant in excess of specified periods of time [after 12 months, for example]. Better the buildings are in use and generating return on investment than lying empty, doing nothing.

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:54 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Define empty. Is it empty if there’s a workshop? Games room? Office? Shrine?…

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:01 PM

    @Antaine O’Labhradha: you need the income it generates, that doesn’t mean everyone does.

    So because yours isn’t empty, it’s perfectly fine to tax ones that are? How about just adding a double rate of tax on all second properties? Would you agree to that? It’s always easy to suggest a new tax that others have to pay, but not you

    People may not need the revenue a second property could generate and rather than take the responsibility of tenants on board, choose to leave it empty. It’s their asset, bought and paid for by their money, to do with as they wish

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:04 PM

    @Antaine O’Labhradha: a better incentive than not paying a tax? Ummm.. how about tax relief or better still a grant?

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    Mute Sean
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:05 PM

    @Patrick FitzGerald: property is regarded as a tangible asset. You pay tax buying it and pay tax selling it and if you leave it to someone they pay inheritance tax. It appreciates and it may also depreciate in value. This is pretty basic economics. Residential property is a form of property and therefore an asset. Also basic. Saying residential property shouldn’t be treated as an asset might go down well in the Karl Marx club in college but in the real world it sounds a bit daft. But to pursue your line of thinking I’m sure that if the government would agree to class property as a non-asset and not tax it as an asset in the multitude of revenue generating ways that they currently do well then we would probably be living in a different multiverse than the one we inhabit.

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    Mute Ally Collyer
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    Jun 11th 2022, 6:27 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: It is known as the bedroom tax in the UK, because it focuses on people on housing benefits who themselves may be single but living in a 2 or 3 bedroom property.
    All well and good until it is realised that single bedroom social housing is virtually non-existent, also private properties! The UK is also suffering with an acute shortage of houses.

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    Mute Donal McCarthy
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    Jun 11th 2022, 6:37 PM

    @Patrick FitzGerald: owning a holiday home is morally repugnant? Way OTT.
    In saying that, I do agree that such homes should face a higher level of property tax.
    Also, the institutional landlords need a disincentive to hold out on keeping very expensive apartments empty until the high rent is met, rather than lowering the rent.
    There would need to be an allowance for recently inherited properties and properties in probate.

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    Mute billy bound
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    Jun 11th 2022, 6:55 PM

    @Cíarán whyte:
    And there’s a simple concept of capital depreciation. Google that.

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    Mute Mirabelle Stonegate
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    Jun 11th 2022, 7:05 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: and how do you define an empty room in a house?

    We have 4 bedrooms, between 3 people. One isn’t actually used as a bedroom anymore. Would you class that as an empty room?

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 8:14 PM

    @billy bound: yup.. you can write that off as a capital loss against your next capital gain

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    Mute Dave
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:00 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Because people who buy their homes do so with possibly a family in mind, so an extra bedroom means they do not have to relocate or build an extension later on.. As opposed to a fully unused house/building during a housing crisis because you are waiting to see if it might sell for a profit some time in the future.. There is a huge difference.. How many properties do you have that you dont want to pay this tax on because you are fairly vocal about it ???

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:09 PM

    @Dave: you do not have to be wronged, to understand something is wrong

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    Mute Pauric J O'Brien
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    Jun 11th 2022, 10:59 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: I get your point, but people already pay tax on deposits, tax on cars used or not, property tax on unused rooms etc,
    Nobody is saying tax assets, what they are supporting is a tax on assets that lay empty when there is a social demand for it and the holding of it is designed to avoid tax.

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    Mute Tom
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    Jun 12th 2022, 12:28 AM

    @Cíarán whyte: if you can afford a second home you can afford to pay tax on it. Cop on to yourself ya muppet

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 12th 2022, 6:20 AM

    @Tom: thanks for the very informed opinion Tom

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    Mute KalEll
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    Jun 12th 2022, 7:15 AM

    @Cíarán whyte: “Lads I decided to participate in the financialisation of housing to the detriment of the rest of you and now while you search for affordable housing I leave the property I own vacant . Why are you punishing me with tax?”

    Do everyone a favour – sell it and invest in your pension

    7
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    Mute Heisen berg1
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    Jun 11th 2022, 11:58 AM

    No, they get, stamp duty, property tax, what more can they think of to get money from people?

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    Mute Seamus Morton
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:05 PM

    @Heisen berg1: A vacant property tax. It’s in the title

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    Mute Sean Stevenson
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:45 PM

    @Heisen berg1: Stamp duty is FA and we have some of the lowest property taxes in Europe. Boomers like you are causing the next mass emigration wave because you’re so ignorant as to how bad the housing crisis is.

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:31 PM

    @Sean Stevenson: the only thing that has kept FF Fg in government is emigration policy get the youth out as quick as possible

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    Mute Gert McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:22 PM

    @Sean Stevenson: while I agree with your comment it is becoming clear there is a dramatic shift happening in ireland . Divided between those who have and those who dont. Those on the left and those on the right. The middle ground is disappearing as the system as it is does not deliver for young people of ireland any more. People over 45 tend to benefit most. The have the property. The better working conditions and contracts . The far superior pensions . Your comment shows this fracture in a clear way. I cant talk to my parents about politics anymore even though I live in their house at 33 while on 60k and they are both retired . In fact it’s hard to talk about anything as it always comes back to the reality that my generation has been shafted by those who came before us.

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    Mute Sean
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:09 PM

    @Gert McNulty: yasss I’m over 45 I knew there had to be advantages!!

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    Mute John Kenny
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:15 PM

    Maybe by reducing capital gains tax from 33% to say 12% might incentivise owners with properties to sell up.

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    Mute Gareth Wogan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 11:58 AM

    How they haven’t by now is just beyond belief tbh

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    Mute Michael Nolan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:32 PM

    @Gareth Wogan: who do y think owns all them properties. It’s not the poor

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    Mute ed w
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:57 PM

    @Michael Nolan: plenty of people have family members away or nursing homes or people dying with no relatives. i can show you a dozen empty properties within 5km of where i live that would need a 100k sinking into them to make them rentable or liveable.
    people voting yes think its all corporate landlords but i suspect it will just penalise a lot of ordinary people.

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    Mute David Bourke
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:53 PM

    @ed w:

    Ordinary people can be greedy shitehawks too. Small landlords are the worst to deal with in my experience, I actually prefer the big corporate landlords.

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    Mute Darren Byrne
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:54 PM

    @ed w: or they could just sell them, let someone who’s willing to put the money to use do it. Its about people owning more than 1 propert I.e their home and not using it. People sick in hospital or in care homes still have the property as their home

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:21 PM

    @ed w: Those people are just sitting on property that’s in disrepair making the area it’s in less attractive, nope, they should pay a vacant property tax and be fined for letting the house go onto disrepair, or sell it. It’s not like selling isn’t an option.

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    Mute Anto H
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    Jun 11th 2022, 11:52 AM

    100%

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:15 PM

    They should also fine people/entities who let their properties get into a state of disrepair. There are so many buildings that are left to run-down and they make areas look terrible. In fact buildings that are left uninhabited and let run-down and that aren’t maintained should be brought into state ownership and then sold… If you don’t use it or look after it you lose it! Like look at the likes of Glenart Castle in Wicklow 20 years ago and look at it now, it’s utterly shameful stuff altogether. (Yes I know the constitution would not allow for my proposal above, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right that good property should be left to deteriorate).

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:18 PM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: One caveat would be where its an inherited property and giving time for the inheritors to sell or do up the property without paying the vacant property tax etc. Say for a period of 2 years maximum of the date the original owner died.

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:19 PM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: Except where the will/inheritance is contested obviously.

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    Mute Terri MacDonald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:13 PM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: probably take longer than that just to get it through probate. If you can afford probate which many can’t – legal fees alone are, on average, 3% of the value of the property. Based on house prices in Dublin, that means for a straightforward probate, you need to have access to a minimum of 8K just to get the deeds transferred. That’s if there are NO issues. I’m still saving up, a year after my mother’s death. In another year, I might JUST have enough money to do the probate.

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    Mute FiannaFáilness FineGaelness
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:18 PM

    @Terri MacDonald: No that’s a valid point Terri and that could be one of the factors that allows non-payment, where you can show that there is a sale on probate. Also another one would be where elderly folks who are out of the family home (in a nursing home) and it’s left idle and they’re using equity from that to pay for nursing home. Common sense exclusions like that. But property hoarders with zero mitigating factors should be hit with vacant property tax and fined where properties are in disrepair, the fines should be able to become a lien on the property too.

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    Mute Sean
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:09 PM

    @Anto H: that’s a lot of percentages. Are you sure you didn’t mean 97%?

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    Mute William O’Connor
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:41 PM

    @FiannaFáilness FineGaelness: That’s very extreme to suggest the government seizing and selling the property as a solution.

    Taxation on vacant property is what’s being proposed which would incentivise maintaining derelict property within itself.

    I’m not familiar with Glenart Castle but local authorities do have the power to force landowners to repair properties and even go as far as to demolish the property and fine the owner if it’s deemed dangerous / unsafe.

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    Mute David Stewart
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:17 PM

    Single, widow, widower, through no fault of their own end up in care. The vat, on building and maintaining their home.
    The household charge , Fair deal when their bank account is depleted to government satisfaction, takes a % of the house value.
    Now some will be happy to see this individual pay a vacant property tax. One day it could be me?
    On second plus properties well maybe. But the home keep your hands off ministers your getting enough from the home already.

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    Mute Dave Barrett
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:01 PM

    Just because someone has a property that’s vacent why should they be taxed. They are already paying property tax. This fu**ing government really want to hurt people.

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    Mute Ciaran
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:03 PM

    @Dave Barrett: this is actually a proposal from the social democrats .. who are opposition and not the govt..

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    Mute alan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:12 PM

    @Dave Barrett: because there is a housing crisis and vacant properties could be used to alleviate it . and because our cities should not be full of vacant properties, which in many cases are no more than derelict ruins. with relation to this, if you want to leave a ruin then you should pay for the privilege. however, going by your post, this isn’t an issue for you. I presume you are happy to let these landlords/owners hang on to their vacant properties and their ever developing ruins. you obviously don’t care about housing shortages and cities that look like wastelands. finally, if the landlord or owner hasn’t sufficient money or care to maintain their property then they can simply sell them or avail of govt incentives to renovate.

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    Mute Scott Robins
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:12 PM

    @Dave Barrett: why would anyone not support this !! Ireland has one of the highest amount of vacant homes in the developed world. Making these vacant homes liveable will increase supply. The gov should also offer huge grants to help people in doing them up, and last but certainly not least, block all vulture funds from buying any properties, both apts and houses. The gov don’t want to do any of this because a huge number of politicians are landlords and want to reap the benefits of the current high rents due to lack of supply and high demand.

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:15 PM

    @Ciaran: looking to make themselves relevant Vacent properties can belong to someone in a Nursing home & which the State & Nursing home can have a stake & be taking a seven & a half% of the value of the property for 3 years which is 22 & half % of the value of the house plus property tax & no way should the Government be allowed to get away with this

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:24 PM

    @alan: U are a realy nice guy what about the person in a nursing home who has a home & the state taking 22& half% of the value of the house plus property tax this is not right in case you don’t know they paid 16% interest on a morgage to try & get a home & worked their but of to pay for it with little or no money or job security& certainly got no handouts so it can’t be pushed on these people as they are intitled to keep their property

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    Mute JG
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:40 PM

    @Dave Barrett: u f~ing clot..

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:41 PM

    @Dave Barrett: bit of a housing crisis going on?

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    Mute alan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 4:11 PM

    @Sheila McNulty: fine. So, somebody in a nursing home who will never return to the property is ‘Intitled’ to let it go to ruin? Tell that to the neighbours or to somebody who can’t afford accommodation . Do they not have ‘intitlements’ too?

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    Mute Pól Ó'hAodha
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    Jun 11th 2022, 11:55 AM

    Absolutely

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    Mute Felim O'Rourke
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:13 PM

    The owners of empty property dont want to pay taxes on the empty property but the want to avail of all the services that the state provides for all property. A simple example is protection of property rights. The state provides garda, property registration services and a court system to defend and protect property ownership. There are a whole range of other state services that the state provides that mantain the value of property. The logic of having a tax on vacant property is strong

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    Mute Cíarán whyte
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:18 PM

    @Felim O’Rourke:

    Do you own something that you don’t use? An empty room in your house? Your car (95% of the time)? Your back garden? Or perhaps another asset like money in your bank account.

    These are all things you buy through earnings (after tax). Should you be taxed again, just because you don’t use them?

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:38 PM

    @Felim O’Rourke: And they have paid hugh money for the privilage of owning their property many with .morgages of 16% Bank interest & the Council morgage interest was 12% so don’t let that be forgotten so no vacent property tax they are already paying property tax on the house in case u didn’t know & there are many good Reasons they want to keep their home Nursing Home for 1 possibly be able to go home with homecare so people need to wise up

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:40 PM

    @Felim O’Rourke: Get your facts they do pay property tax on a house vacent or else

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    Mute Darren Sheridan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 10:16 PM

    @Cíarán whyte: Housing crisis.

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    Mute Martin O Connell
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:38 PM

    Absolutely not, they already have property tax, Stamp duty. What a person does with their own property is none of the governments business.

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    Mute Dearbhla O Reilly
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:26 PM

    Some properties are vacant due to not being habitable. When you look at building and repair cost rises this may mean owners just can’t get the property ready or safe for occupation. That has to be taken into account.

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    Mute D74Life
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:19 PM

    @Dearbhla O Reilly: Then put it on the market.

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    Mute Fergal McDonagh
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:41 PM

    @Dearbhla O Reilly: sell it then.

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    Mute Dearbhla O Reilly
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:27 PM

    @Fergal McDonagh: then what’s next? You’re forced to rent out your spare bedroom? Your empty garden shed or office? Why should people be forced to sell? Maybe they want it for their kids? Tax it. Sure. At a rate that reflects its condition. But force to sell? No.

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    Mute Derek Moran
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:54 PM

    If you are wealthy enough to leave a property vacant, you can afford to pay the tax. This will encourage people to sell to someone who will use it for housing or other economic purposes instead of lettting it accumulate in wealth for the ownee without adding to society.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:08 PM

    @Derek Moran: Exactly, we need to do away with the idea of properties being investments that can lie vacant until some speculator decides to sell when the profit margin is right.
    Yes, there are people in nursing homes, etc. whose personal circumstances should be taken in to account. But homes/properties are for living in. If they can’t afford to do them up to sell or rent then sell for the greater good.

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    Mute Fiona Fitzgerald
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    Jun 13th 2022, 11:46 AM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: I thought the argument was about second or third homes. I think it’s wrong to tax a person’s home full stop. Certainly tax buy to let property, and extra homes.

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    Mute kevin mc cormack
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:37 PM

    I think the government should have no involvement in property full stop,it government intervention in property which has the market in the state it’s in

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:53 PM

    @kevin mc cormack: Eh, the opposite actually. Compared to decades ago property/housing is almost entirely in the hands of the private sector. And look at the mess we are in.

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    Mute D74Life
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:23 PM

    @kevin mc cormack: Protecting the rights of private property is actually a function of a democratic government. Also, the state did good work in the property market 60 years ago. Unfortunately state built housing schemes aren’t in vogue anymore.

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    Mute kevin mc cormack
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:37 PM

    @D74Life: (protect) not turn into a commodity for global investors as is the case now

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    Mute D74Life
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:18 PM

    @kevin mc cormack: That’s exactly my point. I could have worded it better tbf

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    Mute NoPlanetB
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:41 PM

    Tax vacant church property
    #TaxReligion

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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:42 PM

    If a property is vacant there’s usually a good reason: family disputes, geriatric hospitalisation probate issues, dereliction, location etc Why would anybody with a viable property not be looking to rent it out in the current climate?
    Taxing the owner doesn’t necessarily relinquish the home into the housing pool. It simply punishes them when there are most likely, legitimate reasons for its being uunoccupied.

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Jun 11th 2022, 6:18 PM

    @Liz O’Neill: It encourages them to sell it to someone who will use it.

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    Mute Liz O'Neill
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    Jun 12th 2022, 1:25 PM

    @Steve O’Hara-Smith: But again, like with renting, why wouldn’t anyone with a sellable property not already have it on the market unless there were practical or logistical problems? Also, incentives are good for those who have the energy and motivation to follow through. An octogenarian in care, not so much.

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    Mute Ruth Colbert
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:55 PM

    Please Ireland stop with the taxing !!
    Flip sake, is it the answer to everything while the government reap the benefits- I’m sick of it !! Do I need to use more exclamation marks ….

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    Mute Marie Agnew
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:31 PM

    No way, people owning vacant homes may not have the money to do them up, and some maybe keeping them for their children, in the current crisis who could blame them. Blame the vulture funds, blame mass foreign investors, blame the government for allowing it. There is an American company snatching houses in the Kildare area, they have charitable status and no money stays in Ireland, how immoral is this!!

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    Mute James Delaney
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    Jun 11th 2022, 12:33 PM

    FFFG won’t tax their own

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    Mute Aidan Nugent
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:03 PM

    There’s a vacant farmhouse down from me that has lain derelict for decades now. In 2005 a developer sought planning permission to demolish it and build 2 small apartment blocks containing 16 units. He was repeatedly refused permission as they needed to establish whether the property should or should not be preserved. In the meantime the place was used as a squat, as a drugs den before finally being set on fire. It has been an eyesore for years now. This year however, the developer finally secured his planning permission, on the agreement that he sell every unit to the council. The government and councils are their own worst enemy and have the audacity to try and tax the likes of this developer when they themselves are the ones blocking progress. Laughable really.

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    Mute Mal Swan
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:13 PM

    Take every piece of land off the Catholic Church and sell it to the highest bidders.

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    Mute Craic_a_tower
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:25 PM

    Or the councils could do their job and compulsory purchase them with the powers they already have.

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    Mute Damien Leahy
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:27 PM

    That’s what this country needs…….another tax.

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    Mute John Mcmahon
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:12 PM

    Yes they should
    But they won’t too many T.Ds have vacant houses

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    Mute Michael Clair
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:48 PM

    Why is it that all our politicians of every party can’t come up with anything other than yet another tax on people. They don’t have another idea in their heads. Tax, tax,tax. But then they themselves are exempt from most of these taxes. It’s tiresome, time for a political change.

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    Mute Alan McDonald
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:10 PM

    If residential and the property is owned by someone who only has that and their main residence…then no tax should apply there.

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    Mute David Saunders
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    Jun 11th 2022, 7:37 PM

    Definitely not. So they fail to build houses then want to blame everyone else for their mistakes

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    Mute Karel Aija
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    Jun 12th 2022, 8:57 AM

    @David Saunders: wouldn’t need to build and contribute to urban sprawl when existing units were actually used, not hoarded.

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    Mute Keth Warsaw
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    Jun 11th 2022, 2:46 PM

    These reports always brings out the weekend communists, keyboard socialist. But my favourite is the radical idealist.

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    Mute Dave
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:04 PM

    @Keth Warsaw: As opposed to who else on the journal comment section? What would you call yourself?

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:35 PM

    Every single one of these kind if proposals around vacant properties owned by private individuals, is a distraction from the obvious core issue of the housing crisis, the continuing failure of successive governments to address it themselves, by taking the only action required and building social housing.

    If a private individual spends their money on a derelict property as a project or inherits a derelict property, its a matter for them alone, what they want to do with it now or in the future, they don’t have an obligation to increase the supply of available housing in a national housing crisis, that is the job of government and they definitely don’t deserve to be punished for it.

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:36 PM

    There is only one solution to the housing crisis, build more social housing all across the entire country, which will simultaneously increase overall supply, lower housing prices and rents across the entire market, anything else is equivalent to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

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    Mute Karel Aija
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    Jun 12th 2022, 8:55 AM

    @David Van-Standen: Disagree, wouldn’t need to build new if exiting ones were put to use. Rent it or sell it – vacant beyond 12 months is irresponsible during housing crisis.

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:25 PM

    Do proposals include mobile and holiday homes?

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    Mute Michael Clair
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    Jun 11th 2022, 5:48 PM

    Why is it that all our politicians of every party can’t come up with anything other than yet another tax on people. They don’t have another idea in their heads. Tax, tax,tax. But then they themselves are exempt from most of these taxes. It’s tiresome, time for a political change.

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    Mute Dave
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    Jun 11th 2022, 9:02 PM

    @Michael Clair: So you are happy with most of the buildings in our cities falling to ruins due to the fact of the owner does not want to sell, rent or at least make them look somewhat respectable?

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    Mute Ronan Raftery
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    Jun 11th 2022, 3:04 PM

    If the government simply gave a timeframe within which any vacant properties were either sold to new owner-occupiers, this would go some way to sorting out the housing crisis.

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    Mute Brian Lee
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    Jun 12th 2022, 3:07 AM

    Classic divisionary tactics. Get one side giving out about and attacking the other. Then don’t do the one and only thing that can actually solve the problem…..build homes for the people. The game is rigged.

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    Mute aaron
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    Jun 11th 2022, 1:55 PM
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    Mute Dick Barrett
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    Jun 11th 2022, 11:03 PM

    Yes. David McWilliams in today’s IT explained how owners of commercial property actually prefer to let a premises stay un-tenanted in preference to lowering the rent. This creates urban blight. It must stop.

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    Mute Steve O'Hara-Smith
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    Jun 11th 2022, 6:25 PM

    The elephant in the room is all those vacant properties where the ownership is hard to pin down because when the tiger fell into the tarpit a lot of paperwork was in transit running an unknowable number of transactions behind and was subsequently lost track of as lawyers and property agents went bust, moved out etc. Most of it is probably in some lawyers safe somewhere but finding it and determining which transactions happened and which were aborted is not easy.

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