Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The question of management fees raises many issues. In some cases, estates are pushed into remaining in private ownership even though the norm in most parts of the country is for local authorities to take estates in charge after a certain period of time and then maintain their open spaces, grounds and so on. That is a better principle. Where a number of people live together, the roads and public spaces should be public.

They should not be only for the people who happen to live in that area. As a principle, I am concerned that we would consolidate that practice. I am particularly concerned if they are gated communities, that is, if the public cannot go in and out of them. By all means, let one's private home and what is inside one's front gate be one's property but an entire estate that is only for people who live in the area seems to be dividing communities. That is not a good principle.

I understand there are issues. I do not believe people are against the principle of a property tax. I find it confusing to hear the opposite view from people on the left. My view, as a left wing person, and the view of left wing parties in European countries generally, is to take some of the tax burden away from work, whereas in Ireland a high proportion of tax is taken from our income, but we need to spread that to include wealth, and in some cases homes are wealth, particularly expensive homes. The principle of having a tax on property makes sense from a left wing perspective. There are other left wing parties in this Chamber who do not take that position but they are quite out of step with left wing parties in Europe generally. I have no problem standing up and saying that I believe there should be tax on property, simply because there is only so much tax to go around to pay for all the public services we want. If we want good public services, they have to be paid for by tax. By all means tax the wealthier people, and I have no problem with increasing tax on wealthy people, but other forms of wealth as well as income also need to be taxed, and that, in some way, has to include property. That is where I am coming from on this issue.

I can understand there is a problem and that Deputy O'Brien's Bill is designed to deal in some way with that problem, but it is spread too widely. Basically, it encourages the idea that if people have private expensive homes that have management fees then we are never going to ask the council to take them in charge and make them equal to the types of housing estates the rest of us live in.

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