Mairéad Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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Unfortunately, I have another engagement in a few moments and will need to leave. We raised the issue of the site value tax when dealing with the Commission on Taxation. That tax is long overdue. I live in Galway. There are places in Galway where it is badly needed, not only as a revenue raiser - obviously, that can be important as well - but also as a way to change behaviour when it comes to land banking and speculation. Is there any good data on how prevalent that land banking and land speculation is? How much would such a tax bring in? What impact would it have on easing the price of land with a certain type of zoning attached?