Newstalk: Pat Kenny & Karl Deeter on housing, dereliction and sites

Pat Kenny spoke to Karl Deeter about some of the huge, but unreported issues in the housing market, such as ‘who owns derelict sites and buildings’ and how regulations can sometimes make it difficult to provide quality housing at affordable prices.

This was an extended segment on something of great national importance that generally doesn’t get a lot of airtime so we were very pleased with Newstalk for the opportunity to work through it and to have the time to describe many of the nuances that would otherwise be overlooked.

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Sean Moncrieff show, Newstalk 106

We were pleased to chat with Sean Moncrieff on his afternoon show on Newstalk 106. Karl told everybody in the office that his Newstalk ‘Bingo Card’ had finally reached completion after seven years (this was the last show he needed to get on to be on every show he could potentially appear on).

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Taxing sites: Isn’t that what a site value tax would have done?

When I heard that Dublin City Council was considering a tax on undeveloped sites I nearly choked on my coffee. The introduction of the Local Property Tax was contentious, for many it was contentious not because we were being taxed but because of ‘how’ we were being taxed.

That’s because a sizeable group of people believed that a site value tax would be a better alternative. Our government promised this on page 15 of their programme for government where they stated that they would ‘consider, arising from the previous Government’s deal with the IMF, various options for a site valuation tax‘.

That the Local Property Tax isn’t even going to local authorities this year is a serious snub, but to then turn around and in the same year see a Council look for a separate and additional tax on sites only demonstrates that we are …

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Property tax paying bondholders?

This was something that broke while I was on annual leave, it’s really infuriating to see that the property tax which was meant to be a fresh start for local authorities funding is (for 2013) not going to be given to them.

While a politician will always find a way to wiggle out of being called a liar, it’s pedantic to the extreme to think that the public would have realised that it was only going to local government from 2014 and not from the outset. If that was common knowledge it wouldn’t have made a headline so recently.

Given that this is bad outcome it does have to be balanced, and saying that the money is ‘going to bondholders’ is populist nonsense. If it is in the general expenditure coffer then it could go anywhere, you could equally spin the story that it’s going towards cancer wards in hospitals, that it is going towards supporting the homeless or anything else.

The tragedy here is that on the …

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Talking property tax on WLR FM

We spoke to WLRFM yesterday (sound file here) about some of the contentious issues with a market value based property tax. Using values will ensure that the quantum collected is not strictly linked to any costs associated with running a local authority.

In the past this was a huge problem, it was the reason our last property tax died off, and when it came to domestic rates, it was used as political fodder in the 1977 general election where its repeal swung the election.

There are alternatives, Site or Land value tax and to have the tax linked to costs of a local authority would be far better, but we are instead opting for the path which suits the Government most rather than those who pay it.

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Dublin Chamber of Commerce on Property Tax

Dublin Chamber sent out an email yesterday with their opinion on introducing a property tax which we wholeheartedly agree with, a National Tax system will simply gouge some while subsidizing others and it belies the facts of costs which must be considered in delivering the services this tax is there to cover.

(from this point on it’s their release)

The Government’s plans for a property tax will fail unless it is applied locally, says the Dublin Chamber. The Dublin Chamber supports the introduction of a value-based property tax but believes that such a tax should ensure that the value of a property is set against local norms.

“The principle we set out in our submission on property tax was aimed at achieving regional fairness,” said Gina Quin, Dublin Chamber Chief Executive. “In doing so, the Government could ensure higher bills for those with bigger or higher valued sites so that neither urban nor rural households are unfairly targeted through a national system.”

“Location is a key component to a property and the government could see history repeat itself if they …

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