Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In the context of the Deputy’s assessment of where we stand from IFAC's point of view, will he give consideration to changes we have made in broadening the tax base to deal with the very risk he identified? Over the past two budgets, the tax base has been broadened. This was done despite the fact the sectors of our economy affected by tax broadening did not want it. It happened precisely because I am trying to find ways of ensuring that, over time, we do not become excessively reliant on a particular tax head. The Deputy knows what they are and he knows what we have done with stamp duty on commercial property, with VAT and with the gambling sector, which was on a smaller level.

Giving additional powers to the Land Development Agency is a matter for the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, although I am working with him on it. My view is that the Land Development Agency should have strong powers to use compulsory purchase orders because it is important for allowing it to build up a landbank which, of itself, is value for building homes on. It will also have an important indirect effect then on the pricing of other land adjacent to those landbanks.

I am not planning to introduce an additional zoning tax. The reason for this is that I am trying to increase the supply of zoned land. My concern is that if I was to make such a change, it could run against that objective. It is not the case that we are reliant on the market to deliver the objectives we have for housing. We need private developers to deliver private homes to those who want to buy them. However, between one and four and one and five of the homes built this year will be delivered through different mechanisms by the State for social and public use. That is mixed used. At this point, I am not considering introducing development levies on rezoning decisions. I am engaging with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to ensure we are funding infrastructure in the right way while ensuring nobody is benefiting disproportionately from the delivery of a public good in their vicinity.