Taoiseach defends property tax regime

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has said it was wrong for anyone to speculate that ordinary citizens were being hit with local property tax bills running to thousands of euro.

At an Oireachtas committee yesterday, Mr Kenny said in response to Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming that he did not know what valuation estimate Revenue had put on the residential portion of Áras an Uachtaráin.

The Taoiseach said he knew of apartment owners whose property tax liability was one-fifth or one-sixth the amount they pay in charges to property management companies. He also expressed confidence that Revenue would be able to demonstrate that compliance with the new tax would meet its 90 per cent target by the deadline of May 28th.

Addressing the subcommittee on the Department of An Taoiseach’s financial estimates for this year, he also said Revenue’s enforcement powers meant its pursuit of the tax due “will not be the same as requests from the local authorities” to pay the household charge.

The Revenue would in due course deal with the household charge issues, he said.

Lowry tapes
Responding to a question from Labour TD Kevin Humphries, the Taoiseach said he would not be reopening the Moriarty tribunal in light of the disclosure of a taped conversation involving Independent TD Michael Lowry.

Mr Humphries said: “There is real concern out there about what was published and most people listened to the tapes.”

While Mr Kenny believed the matter was under Garda examination, he would not comment. “If somebody out there has new information that’s relevant to it, they should bring it to the authorities and bring it to the authorities quickly,” Mr Kenny said.