Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to raise the issue of the property tax and the impending budget next week. The domestic economy is in free fall. People are not spending money. Any shopkeeper will say that, at this early stage of the Christmas season, the Christmas trade is down on last year. People have no money and cannot afford to spend any additional moneys on the household charge or the property tax. Whatever one's political philosophy on the household charge, it was unsuccessful, very badly handled and the money that was to come in was already removed from local authorities. One cannot blame the local authorities. It was the decision of the Government of the day to remove that fund. I think it is a wrong time for a property tax when 20% of all home owners are in mortgage arrears, when the value of houses are in negative equity and people are losing their jobs. More than 1,200 have lost their jobs each week this year. Introducing a property tax at this time will stagnate the domestic economy.