John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

As the Deputy will be aware, I am trying to broaden the revenue base of local authorities. We are commencing the process this year with the introduction of the €200 levy on second properties, some of which are holiday homes. It is hoped this will net €40 million, although the final amount could be higher. This is an innovation which I hope will start the process of broadening the financial base for local government. I agree with Deputy Hogan that there is too much of a burden on some rate payers.

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