Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 49:

In page 132, between lines 30 and 31 to insert the following:"Amendment to Section 10(A) of the Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012

99.The Finance (Local Property Tax) Act 2012 is amended in section 10(A) by substituting the following subsection for subsection (3):

"(3) Notwithstanding subsection (1) and (2) and subject to subsection (4), the Minister for the Environment Community and Local Government shall ensure in the making of regulations, that a residential property shall not, for the purposes of this Act, be regarded as a relevant residential property if a certificate has been issued in relation to it having a building condition assessment damage rating of 2, or a building condition assessment damage rating of 1 with progression, and has either been accepted by the Pyrite Remediation Board for remediation, or is in any area where the presence of pyrite has been established, regardless of whether a hardcore infill test has been carried out.".".

There is an urgent need to bring clarity to the situation whereby homes which are affected by pyrite were supposed to be exempt from the property tax. Home owners are unable to avail of that exemption because of the mechanism used to achieve it.

I refer to persons who own homes which are essentially valueless and persons who cannot sell their property. I tabled this amendment only after lengthy correspondence with both the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Minister for Finance.

Both Departments have recognised a serious anomaly exists in that people who have pyrite in their house cannot avail of their legitimate exemption. The amendment seeks to make the process easier. I am sorry, Acting Chairman, but it is difficult to speak with the noise level.

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