The Budget failed to address one of the key issues for landlords in the private rental sector, who are providing good quality homes for in excess of 600,000 people.
The so called Local Property Tax, billed for the funding of local services, should be collected from the people using the services under the “Users Pays Principle”. “This perpetuates a blatant unfairness in the system”, said Stephen Faughnan, Chairman of the Irish Property Owners Association. “This situation will inevitably result in rents having to rise, and represents another layer of of continuing unfairness.” Property Owners in the private rental market may now be forced to participate in an unfair tax code.
The only very slight crumb of comfort in the Budget for private landlords is that the inequitable Non-Principal Private Residence Charge and the Household Charge are being abolished, but their replacement with a Local Property Tax just continues the discrimination whereby tenants and a variety of others availing of local services do not have to directly pay for those services, unlike private home owners who may live next door.
In …