Paul Murphy admits he paid property tax to sell house

The "reality is the boycott on property tax has finished," Anti-Austerity Alliance TD, Paul Murphy has said, after having to pay the tax on an apartment he sold earlier this year.

The Dublin South-West deputy, who publicly tore up his property tax form in 2013, paid the tax last May on an apartment in Ballinteer, South Dublin when he sold it for €255,000.

Speaking to The Irish Times, Mr Murphy said he was forced to pay the tax against his will to be able to sell his apartment and move to his new home in Kingswood, Tallaght.

Mr Murphy said he felt it was “deeply unfair” and he resented having to pay the tax but his solicitor informed him he could not move without paying.

He discussed the situation with colleagues in the Anti-Austerity Alliance before he made the decision, he said.

“Nearly everyone in the Anti-Austerity Alliance has been forced to pay,” he said.

“The boycott was broken by the measures introduced to tackle the campaign.”

However, Mr Murphy says he did not pay his water charges before moving out.

“I successfully sold without paying,” he said.