Tom Barry (Cork East, Fine Gael)

The reform of how local government is funded is essential given the collapse of the development contributions and the complete lack of a plan B from the previous Government on where the replacement local government would come from.

To meet our requirement under the EU-IMF programme of financial support for Ireland, a property tax is to be introduced next year. This €160 million, as other Members have stated, will obviously contribute towards funding the emergency, waste, library, recreation and leisure services. It is €2 a week. It does not sound much, but it is a charge. It is important that the exclusion of properties that are newly constructed or unsold is taken into account.

Where I have an issue with the definition of an owner under the liability of the household charge is that owners, not occupiers, will be liable here. This will be fine but in particular situations, it should not apply across the board. For the landlord, the property is not his or her household and it is only an extra charge. There is a situation here where many couples bought a second house as a pension or as something to pass on to their kids in old age. They now find themselves caught in a situation where they have a €200 second home charge and another €100 as a household charge tax. Those living in much of the rented accommodation have good jobs. They all are not on social welfare. They can well afford to pay this charge. However, it is being applied to those-----

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