Renua policies would increase LPT in rural Offaly and lower costs for towns and cities – Corcoran Kennedy

Fine Gael TD for Laois/Offaly and Chairperson of the Oireachtas Jobs Committee, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, has called on Renua to clarify how increasing Local Property Tax (LPT) in rural Ireland, in order to ease the burden on urban areas, will help rural communities.

“Despite claims that they are committed to saving rural Ireland, Renua’s policy document states that the changes they plan to make to LPT will: ‘reduce the cost of funding local authorities for people in large cities and increase charges for people in rural Ireland’.

“It is there in black and white in the Renua policy document, that the changes proposed would benefit those in towns and cities, at the expensive of people living in rural Ireland.

“The Renua LPT would be made up of two components; a zoned land charge and a site value tax. The zoned land charge would be based on the size of the site per square metre. This would mean that a bungalow situated on half an acre would pay vastly more than a four bed luxurious home in Donnybrook.

“Renua openly states that it is promoting a policy of ‘intensive, rather than exstensive, development.’ Does this mean that Renua want us all to live in housing estates and apartment complexes?

“There is no doubt that housing development must be carried out in a planned and responsible way but policies that disincentive one off houses and rural living would deal a massive blow to rural Ireland.

“It is very easy to claim to be a voice for rural Ireland, but you need to follow through with policies that would improve rural living. With its plans for the property tax, Renua would make it more expensive to live in rural Ireland.

“This Government will review the LPT rates in 2016 in an effort to make this charge as affordable and as fair as possible for people in all parts of the country. In addition, the Minister for Housing is currently reviewing the inspection policy for one-off houses in order to make these homes more affordable and attainable.

“Achieving change for rural Ireland is about three things; speaking out, committing and acting. Renua scores one out of three on my count; they are speaking out but their policies show no commitment, meaning there will never be any action.”