Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Finance Bill going through the House provides for a new zoned land tax to replace the vacant site levy, which should be collected properly in the meantime. However, the zoned land tax will apply only to serviced land and not to land with planning permissions in place. We will have to wait another year for a vacant homes tax. Our party is calling for the zoned land tax to apply much more broadly. Limiting it to serviced land restricts its usefulness, especially if planning permission is in place for housing. There are huge delays in getting electricity and water connections for housing developments that have already been built. My colleague in Wexford, Councillor George Lawlor, has encountered homeowners who have received quotes of €90,000 for a water connection. In Bryanstown Wood, just outside Drogheda, County Meath, there is a delay in the building of a number of houses until 2022 because of an issue with an electricity connection. It is incredible that we have completed houses lying empty while they await grid connections. Could this be put on the agenda of the Cabinet subcommittee on housing? Will the Taoiseach return to the House with a report on the matter because these stories are ridiculous?

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