Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am talking about the exceptions that people know about. A new house might have been built on the edge of Dundalk. It might be a lovely five bedroom house and much more valuable than houses in Anne Street or elsewhere in Dundalk. One property could be valued at €600,000 or €700,000 whereas another property could be worth closer to €200,000 or €250,000. The people in the property valued at €250,000 are paying the property tax because they have been in the house for a long time. The people in the new or newly purchased property, however, are not paying the tax. I am making a point about the fairness of taxation. The Minister cannot argue that this situation should continue indefinitely. I understand a case involving a new build where a fresh mortgage has been taken on. In that case, an exemption for two years might be justified perhaps as the people concerned set themselves up. It is really hard, however, for people to understand this growing band of exemptions. I suggest strongly a change that could be instituted immediately but that would not interfere with the tax base. This might be a token change, but I suggest applying even the minimum rate of property tax to those properties. That would not be overly complex. The current situation is wrong.