Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. That was one of my interventions. I would like to repeat my impression in that case. I want to make it very clear that it was anticipated last night that rent in one home in Drogheda, County Louth, will increase by 65%. In Dublin, the figure is a 35% increase. It is absolutely unacceptable. This legislation is solving the problem in Dublin inasmuch as that increase will not happen into the future. I share the concerns of everybody on the case in Louth. I have listened to what the Minister has said. He has clearly and categorically said that he has identified the areas which will be acted on immediately. As we know, and as other speakers have alluded to, the facts are already provided with the housing assistance payments scheme, which was done in July, and on the RTB website.

The other point I wish to reiterate is the main point I made last night. It is about the empty homes. The number of empty homes in Dublin is about 39,000. In the State, excluding holiday homes, that number is 192,000. They are all empty and there is nobody in any of them. I noticed a headline on one of my internet pages that read that Vancouver is taxing owners of empty homes since last month. In other words, the city is introducing a tax if a house is vacant for a particular period of time. It is putting a tax on the fact that the house is kept empty. In England, after a building is empty for two years, twice the rate of property tax is paid. There are other measures in Scotland and right around the world. With regard to the body the Minister is setting up, I ask him to look at the tax and other financial issues relating to landlords. Would he consider examining this issue and bringing in a new tax on empty homes that are vacant for longer than a minimum of two years in major cities and areas of high population?

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