Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

If property price inflation continues, the average family will face a property tax bill approximately €180 higher by 2019. As a result, the Fine Gael backbenchers from south Dublin and elsewhere come into the House and create a racket and burn the ear off the Minister for Finance. They say that now, as the election approaches, people are facing a massive increase in property charges on their houses and ask what the Government is going to do about it. They say seats are on the line and call for a change in policy. Cynically, the Government decides to freeze the charge and leave it to the next Government to make a change. The question that should be asked is whether property reflects the wealth and income of a family. It does not because the crash has sundered that relationship and the Government thinks the people are naive in regard to what it is doing through this Bill today.

This Bill is an admission that the local property tax system is broken. For a long time, Sinn Féin has been saying the property tax is an unfair and broken model. We need to ensure we have a fairer model.

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