Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The mounting debts of people deferring payment of their local property tax due to inability to pay are extremely worrying. Information revealed by the Revenue Commissioners last year indicates that, on average, 43,000 people defer their payments every year. I suspect the number has increased this year because of the unprecedented times we are living in. Workers and families do not defer payment lightly but do so because they cannot afford to pay. If the local property tax was truly a wealth tax, this would not happen and we would not saddle ordinary people with huge bills when they just cannot afford to pay them. I commend the Sinn Féin team on South Dublin County Council, which yesterday reduced local property tax for the council's area by the maximum 15% allowed.

We should get one thing straight, which is that the local property tax is unfair because it is a tax on the family home. It is a yearly tax on top of increases in other costs of living. People have gone through financial hardship in the past 18 months that is unprecedented and Covid-19 has had a financial impact on families the life of which we have not seen before. The Government rammed through legislation without proper scrutiny or consultation last week. Rushed laws are bad laws.

The Government has a habit of bypassing democracy and bulldozing through legislation. This week again we will see the liberal use of such bulldozing through of legislation without adequate debate. An example is the legislation on indoor dining restrictions for unvaccinated people, which needs to be the subject of a full debate. The Government cannot rush through legislation that to all intents and purposes creates a two-tier society.

Our Whip, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, only this morning proposed that the Dáil should not go into recess this week but should rather remain sitting to deal with legislation. The latter would be preferable to the Government railroading through legislation relating to local property tax, public health restrictions and many other matters. We should take our time and give this process the responsible deliberation it needs. Public health requirements do not take a break during a pandemic and neither should the Dáil.

The local property tax is another bill that people cannot afford and it comes on top of other increases mentioned earlier. For example, only this morning I was contacted by residents in Lucan who have been hit with an 8% rent increase. If the average rent in the Lucan area is €2,000 per month, the rent will increase to €2,160. This is also a result of Government legislation that did not take on board Sinn Féin proposals for a rent freeze. The legislation had gaps that industrial landlords could exploit in order to raise rents for ordinary workers and families. It is legislation that makes things worse and not better for already struggling families.

Fine Gael is talking out of both sides of its mouth. While it is pushing through this Bill tonight, it was a Fine Gael proposal on South Dublin County Council to reduce the local property tax by 15%. It seems the party's councillors are not falling into line with Government policy.

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