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Taoiseach Brian Cowen has insisted he was not ¿wedded¿ to the idea of a property tax as the Government bids to tackle the burgeoning budget deficit.

"I'm not wedded to property tax," Mr Cowen said in an interview published today. "But I don't want that to be suggested that we are not prepared to take the decisions that need to be made if that is what is deemed necessary,¿ he said.