Lorraine Higgins (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I refer to an article I read recently in the Irish Independent. It speculates that the Government will reduce VAT for the construction sector in the upcoming budget. Like all Members of the Oireachtas, I certainly welcome measures designed to generate employment, but I would be horrified by the vista of NAMA and cowboy developers getting a tax break from the Government. If the measure was restricted to genuine tradesmen and small builders who comprise the backbone of our communities, it could be great. However, how can we, in conscience, even think about giving a VAT reduction to developers such as those who developed Priory Hall or those who have been bailed out by NAMA to the tune of tens of billions of euro at the expense of the taxpayer? There are thousands of half-built monuments around the country that are a testament to the greed of the property developers in question. There are a number in my county and home town of Athenry. The Government needs to reflect seriously on giving a VAT reduction to people who have given us half-finished estates, building sites on which the hoarding is falling down and areas that are unsafe for people to enter, let alone live in.

There are also hundreds, if not thousands, of developers in Ireland who have not paid the development levies owed to our local authorities. Some estimates put the amount owed at half a billion euro. That is money that the ordinary householders of Ireland are now being forced to pay over in property taxes. If the Minister for Finance is considering this measure, I ask him to ensure that the developers who destroyed this country do not benefit from it. Only tradesmen and small local contractors who are in good standing with the Revenue Commissioners, NAMA and the local authorities should benefit from it.