Vacant Sites
Dail Éireann — 2021-06-15
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Róisín Shortall (SD), Dublin North-West

I note the Minister did not express confidence in the scheme as it is operating at the moment. Thanks to work being done by the Business Post , it has been reported that last year €21.5 million was owed on vacant sites. In that same year, €21,000 was collected. By any standards, the system is not working.
The local authorities simply do not have the resources or personnel to do the follow-up work. The figures speak for themselves.
A solicitor and tax specialist who is experienced in this area has been in touch with the Minister's Department on several occasions with a proposal for how a new system might operate. That system would be based on self-assessment but would include penalties unless people registered their properties. Such people would have to produce a certificate at the point of sale of the property. I ask the Minister to consider such a system.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2021-06-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:49:23+00:00
Sitting date: 2021-06-15