Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

To bring another perspective to this amendment, I would like these figures to be noted. In the county I represent, many so-called rural rents are €800 per month. Take off over 50% tax on that and that leaves €400 per month. That is €100 a week for the person who owns that property to maintain it, insure it, pay the property tax and pay the loan if there is one. We should be very careful when we talk about rent pressure zones. How in the name of goodness can you compare Dublin rents at €1,400 to €2,500 per month to rural rents? I am not trying to say for one second that the rural rent of €800 is small or insignificant for the person who is paying it. I consider it a lot of money when you have to come up with it every four weeks but we must remember that €800 is not €800. I am not blaming the Minister of State for this but the Minister for Finance, whether of this Government, the previous one or future ones, will always be taking 50%.

It is not €800, but €400 we are discussing and probably much less when we take the charges that I mentioned into account.

I am trying to bring some balance to this. As was mentioned earlier, we must not let people believe that we are hurting the market by doing what we are discussing.

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