Vacant home tax “ineffective,” says Labour candidate

LABOUR local election candidate in Donaghmede Shane Folan has called the vacant home tax an “ineffective” policy measure, noting that only 3,000 properties are subject to the tax.

Folan has called on Government to revisit vacant home tax exemptions and introduce more effective measures to tackle vacancy on the Northside. 
Folan remarked, “the figures on the vacant home tax take show that this new measure is like throwing deck chairs off the Titanic when it comes to tackling the scourge of vacancy and dereliction across Dublin.”

“We now learn that only about 3,000 properties will be subject to the vacant home tax, but any reasonable person can see this is way off the true scale of the issue nationwide.”

Folan said that having just one vacant home in the middle of a housing crisis is “outrageous,” but 3,000 is endemic of a larger problem that may just be the tip of the iceberg.

“We know that there are many more than 3,000 vacant homes. Local Property Tax returns indicate that there are 57,206 vacant properties nationwide, and the Census estimates that the number is closer to 166,752, excluding 66,135 seasonal holiday homes,” he noted.

“Anecdotally, you don’t need to spend long walking in our area before you will see so many homes empty, homes that should have people and families living in them.”

“So what is going on here? As in many aspects of this Government’s record on housing, the approach to vacancy and dereliction has been abysmal. It has been marked by short-termism – not effective action.”

Folan said the original intent of the tax was to encourage people to bring their vacant property back into use, but said that if there is an uptake of only 3,000 of the potentially 166,752 vacant homes, the policy has failed.

“Labour are demanding a review of the exemptions under the tax and to introduce more effective measures to get these empty homes to the people and families in Donaghmede who need them,” he said.

“To get to grips with the scale of the vacancy and dereliction problem nationwide, a scourge on all our communities, Labour called for an increased Vacant Homes Tax, with a €2,000 minimum charge. We are now urging Government to examine the extensive exemptions list and drive change in the housing market.”

Folan also said that local authorities must be “given the teeth and funding” to tackle the issue.

“Dublin City Council should be the first port of call to bring all the empty homes we see on a daily basis back into use, as they have done in the past, but they are underfunded and under-resourced.”

Folan cast doubt on Government’s commitment to the issue, noting that there is no central database for the number of vacant properties nationwide.

“How can they ensure that everyone who should be liable for the vacant home tax is declaring themselves?”, he asked.

“If Government collated this data effectively and if an identified property remains empty, then the Vacant Housing Officers in each local authority could be resourced to proceed with CPO proceedings. Each local authority could have targets on returning vacant and derelict properties into use.”

“That would truly bring about change for those on the hard end of the housing crisis in Dublin,” he said.