Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

In the 2022 census, 166,000 homes were recorded as vacant, and these did not include holiday homes or those that were temporarily vacant for other reasons. To have so many vacant homes in a time of crisis is shocking. It is similar to having food available in a time of famine. A vacant homes tax was detailed in the most recent budget and was to be levied at 0.3% of the value of the home, which is tiny compared with the increase in the values of homes at the moment, but Revenue indicated it was going to levy it on only about 4,000 homes, with a benefit to the Exchequer of about €4 million. Surely that is outrageous. How many empty homes will have this tax levied against them and how much will it bring in? How many Croí Cónaithe grants have been drawn down to get vacant homes back into use?

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