Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The property tax is not only an unfair tax; it is an utterly pointless tax. When the Fine Gael-led Government introduced it, the justification for it was that it would dampen the property market and fund local services. Now we see the reality - not a single extra cent for local government. With the removal of the equalisation fund, we will deepen the gap in the ability of local authorities to fund services depending on where they happen to be. Of course, it has done nothing to dampen the market, which has gone completely out of control. Therefore, there is no point to this tax and it is an unfair tax.

The alternative is, as Deputy Paul Murphy said, a wealth tax on billionaires. Here is another suggestion. Put a tax not on the family home but on multiple property owners. One could raise just as much money and it would be a far fairer and less regressive tax.

See this speech in context