A Mayo County Councillor has described the Residential Zoned Land Tax as ‘completely draconian’ as farmers and representative groups are calling for the tax to be scrapped.
This tax is being brought in with the intention to increase the housing supply and encourage the development of lands that have been serviced and zoned (either wholly or partly) for residential use.
The amount of tax a farmer has to pay is calculated at 3% of the market value of land within its scope.
Councilor Patsy O’Brien says that this system is somewhat ‘penal’, comparing it to the English landlords of Cromwellian times, saying that the Irish Government is like the English landlord who Irish people paid tax on their land to.
Ultimately, it is Minister for Finance Jack Chambers who the final decision is understood to be up to, as to whether or not to include this tax in the 2025 Budget.
Cllr O’Brien says that he takes issue with this ‘attack’ on people who farm family land that has been passed down to them through generations to support their families.
He has been outlining his concerns to Midwest Radio’s Rian Bailey:
