In a move aimed at addressing the housing shortage, the government has introduced the Residential Zoned Land Tax.
This new tax initiative is designed to encourage landowners to develop serviced residential lands that are already zoned for housing but remain underutilised.
The tax came into effect yesterday at a rate of 3% of the land’s market value.
Speaking to KCLR News Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council Fergal Browne hopes this will give landowners a push, stating that “It makes sense, because it can be very frustrating as a public representative, when we spend hours and hours at council meetings, zoning land for residential use, and then discovering afterwards that it isn’t being used for the purposes that it was assigned to.”
Cllr. Browne then added that “its in the context of where you have residential land zoned, and then you have also the services there, so I think its good news, it will provoke, hopefully, people into building on their land.”