Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Finance Bill is currently making its way through the Dáil and is due back in the House next week for Report Stage. In the aftermath of the budget, the leader of Fianna Fáil said he would seek additional tax breaks for landlords in the Bill. We never got to the bottom of what precisely those would be. However, I want to know whether the Taoiseach will provide a tax break for renters.

Yesterday's quarterly rental report from daft.ieshows rent has risen to an all-time high of €1,334 per month. In every single county in the State, the 4% rent pressure zone, RPZ, cap is being breached. In Galway city, a RPZ, average rent is 16% higher than in the same period last year. That is four times the 4% cap. Eighteen counties in addition to Galway show double-digit increases, including 20% increases in Limerick and Waterford cities. It is, therefore, time for the Taoiseach to accept that his approach to tackling spiralling rent increases has categorically failed. What we need if we are to tackle this crisis are an immediate three-year rent freeze and tax relief for tenants. Sinn Féin will reintroduce its amendments to the Finance Bill next week to provide such tax relief. The Government will then have the opportunity to do the right thing to help struggling renters, or it can do the wrong thing again alongside its partner, Fianna Fáil, and persist with introducing tax breaks for landlords instead. When this choice is made, we will then see whether the Taoiseach is on the side of renters or landlords. The choice is, of course, his. I would like to know whether he will support our amendments.

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