Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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That site is currently being charged €70,000 to try to encourage its development or sale for development purposes and yet there is a reduction here. That is the concern. The vacant site levy was raised from 3% to 7%. There are many more issues with the vacant site levy regarding collection, implementation, local authorities and all that. The rate was also raised because at 3% on a piece of land worth €1 million, the €30,000 that was being charged was not working and so it was increased to €70,000. Given the lead-in time for this tax, surely it should be considered at a higher rate. My view is that it is not penal to have it at a 7% rate because others, including some in Government parties, have called for the vacant site levy to be significantly increased. There is a very long lead-in period meaning that people who have vacant sites will know that this is coming down the line within a number of years, giving them the opportunity to act.

With that in mind, why does the Minister believe reducing the tax required to be paid on those sites will encourage the owners to develop them, given that they will be paying less than half of what they are currently paying?