Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

112. To ask the Minister for Finance his views on raising the age limit of 35 years to 40 years for stamp duty relief for young farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5219/15]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I take it the deputy is referring to the stamp duty relief available to farmers under the age of 35 years - generally referred to as the Young Trained Farmer Relief.

In common with a number of tax reliefs in relation to the transfer of farmland, it was introduced to encourage older farmers to transfer land to young farmers at an age when they would be active, thereby ensuring that farm land is put to more productive use than might otherwise be possible if farmed by an elderly farmer.  To qualify for the relief a farmer must be under 35 years of age at the time of transfer of land and have (or obtain ) a farming qualification.  

The Report of the Agri-taxation Working Group to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Agriculture Food and the Marine published in October 2014 recommended retention of the relief in its current form.  Indecon, in its 2014 Review of Agricultural Tax Incentives, stated that the potential of Irish agriculture will in Indecon's judgement only be unlocked if progressive farmers with ambition have access to agricultural land. In addition the report stated that from their research they found significant positive results from training, with a trained farmer having on average 12% higher levels of output compared with an untrained farmer.

Given that the purpose of the relief is to encourage the transfer of land to young trained farmers and as no compelling arguments have been put forward to justify increasing the age, I have no plans to increase the qualifying age from 35 years of age to 40 years.