The Green Party has said that Budget 2027’s derelict properties tax will still leave too many potential homes empty.
Green Party Leader Roderic O’Gorman said that Budget 2027 does nothing to turn the thousands of vacant and derelict houses and buildings across the country into much needed homes:
“The number of vacant and derelict buildings in this country that could be transformed into homes is immense. Those buildings are a visual represenatation of the disappointment and frustration many feel in the struggle to get a home. There will be no improvement in vacancy and dereliction without a redefinition of what these terms mean in practical terms. Until then, too many owners of unused buildings will be able to keep them off the register. We want clarity on this from the Minister so that we can transform more buildings into much needed housing.
“Taxing dereliction which is welcome, but a tax on a derelict building doesn’t house anyone. How many derelict properties will this actually bring back into use? Enforcement needs to be a priority.”
Green Party Spokesperson on Housing, Cllr Oliver Moran, criticised the lack of enforcement capabilities at a local level to tackle vacancy and dereliction adding:
“It’s all well and good to say Revenue will use its full powers to collect vacancy and dereliction levies, but there’s frustration at local authority level that it’s local government doing all the running.
“Local authorities identify the properties and the owners. It’s local authorities that draw up all the maps for the Residential Zoned Land Tax. Then Revenue takes all the money, with no benefit to those doing the running.
“It’s now out of local authorities’ hands even to make arrangements with people who buy derelict properties to waive levies while they’re doing them up. The government is well aware of this but there’s no answer to it again in this budget.”
