Press Release: Home owners in mortgage arrears should not have to pay Property Tax – O’Brien

Fianna Fáil Senator Darragh O’Brien maintains that people in mortgage arrears should not have to pay the Local Property Tax. “If they cannot pay a mortgage, it is absolutely ridiculous that they would be expected to pay the local property tax.  That should not be the case.
“I support the Property Tax freeze, but many will be left behind,” he warned. “On behalf of Fianna Fáil I tabled an amendment taking into consideration the dilemma faced by the more than 200,000 people who are in mortgage arrears and have no ability to pay the Local Property Tax.
“The Bill as it stands freezes the revaluation date but it is sorely lacking in other detail that could have made a difference for those who cannot afford to pay the LPT, those whose homes are valueless and those who live on managed estates and who are effectively being taxed on the double and paying a tax for services that they do not derive.
“We have spent a great deal of time debating how the LPT could be improved but we have gotten nowhere with this legislation bar the freezing of the revaluation. Fianna Fáil has made specific commitments on the issues I have outlined, which will form part of our manifesto to improve the tax.