Unanimous Agreement on Oireachtas Cmttee to Exempt Farmers from Residential Zoned Land Tax
IFA President Tim Cullinan said there was unanimous agreement among Government and opposition TDs on the Oireachtas Select Committee on Budgetary Oversight last night that derogations/exemptions from the Residential Zoned Land Tax must be provided to genuine farmers.
An IFA delegation led by the IFA President addressed the Committee last night.
Tim Cullinan said no liability should accrue to farmers who wish to continue farming on privately-owned land.
He said the RZLT, as it currently stands, is simply a land grab exercise that will do nothing more than create economically unviable operations and distort the agricultural land market from forced land sales.
“Farmers right across the country are deeply concerned about the impact of this penal tax. With political will, legislation can be changed to address this inequitable situation. We will continue to lobby and engage with Government as a matter of priority,” he said.
IFA Farm Business Chair Rose Mary McDonagh said there are many aspects of the existing RZLT that are completely unjust and unfair on farmers. Firstly, there is no requirement on local authorities to directly engage with land owners of their liability. This must change. There is no account taken of actual commercial demand at a local level. This must also change.
“Ultimately farm land, as it was the case for the Vacant Site Levy, must be exempt entirely. Imposing this disproportionate tax rate relative to the income yield potential for many farmers is simply unsustainable,” she said.
