Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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138. To ask the Minister for Finance the status of action 9 of the strategy for the private rental market which sets out that his Department will establish a working group on tax and fiscal treatment of rental accommodation providers in the first quarter of 2017; the terms of reference for the working group; if the working group has met; the membership of the working group; if the group will provide opportunities for outside engagement and submissions; the timeline for the group to produce a final report; if the work of this group will encompass the consideration of tax relief for renters recently referred to by the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government or if that matter will be considered by a separate group; if so, if he will provide the same details requested in relation to the working group on tax and fiscal treatment of rental accommodation providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2622/17]

Michael Noonan (Limerick City, Fine Gael)
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The Rebuilding Ireland Strategy for the Rental Sector, published by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in December 2016, committed to the establishment of a working group in early 2017 to examine and report on the tax treatment of landlords (or rental accommodation providers), and to put forward options, where appropriate, for amendments to such treatment.

The first meeting of the Working Group took place on the nineteenth of January and proposed terms of reference will be put to me for consideration and approval soon.  The group is chaired by the Department of Finance and its membership at present consists of officials from the Tax and Economics Divisions of the Department of Finance; the Revenue Commissioners; the Housing Division of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government; and the Residential Tenancies Board.  It is anticipated that the group will also receive input from sectoral representatives in due course.

A public consultation was conducted during the development of the Rebuilding Ireland action plan to which almost 500 written submissions were received.  Aspects of these submissions relating to the tax and fiscal treatment of rental accommodation providers will be considered by the Working Group, and the Group will facilitate the making of submissions by others, including political parties, either as part of a more focused additional public consultation or by other means.

The report of the Working Group is scheduled to be completed in advance of Budget 2018, to allow for consideration of proposed options, if any, in consultation with Minister Coveney, as part of my deliberations for that Budget.  The tax treatment of tenants or renters is not within the scope of the commitment given in the strategy for the rental sector publication and therefore is not currently being considered by a specific working group within my Department. However, all tax reliefs are regularly reviewed as part of the annual Budget and Finance Bill process.