Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The commitment to a vacant property tax is clear in Housing for All. The 2018 Indecon report reflected the housing market as it stood then but we are now in a situation where we need to make even more urgent use of properties and land available for housing and accommodation purposes. That is why the Housing for All strategy contains a different commitment to the introduction of a vacant property tax.

That said, the vacant property tax is only one of a number of measures we will need to implement to make progress in tackling the housing needs in our country. We are making progress. The construction of more than 30,000 homes had commenced by October 2021. That is an increase of 49% on the previous year. That is a signal that our strategy is working.

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