Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 16 November 2021

Select Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach

Finance Bill 2021: Committee Stage

Photo of Mairead FarrellMairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Sometimes it is easier to intervene at this point. I will brief on this issue. We have been clear in our support for the introduction of that type of a tax on multiple homes. I will be supporting the amendment. The only issue I have with it is that it does not deal with the issue of sweetheart deals for funds. The number of vacant homes is a major issue. There is a large number of vacant homes in my city of Galway. It is a massive issue in many of our town and cities We need to do everything we can to address it. We have the tenth highest number of vacant homes in the world. We are supportive of this amendment. We have long been calling for the introduction of this type of a tax on multiple homes. The only issue I have with the amendment is that it does not impact on the funds and the impact they have on people who are trying to get homes.