Property tax concessions
The Taoiseach outlines mortgage-interest relief for affected homeowners and says further property-tax concessions will be published.
In respect of the Deputy's question about the property tax, the big case made was for the people who had paid very high stamp duty on houses bought at the beginning of this boom. The people who have been most affected are middle-income families who bought houses as first-time buyers at the height of the boom. They did not have to pay stamp duty. The Government focused on those people by giving double mortgage interest relief for those who bought between 2004 and 2008. The Bill has been passed into law. At 1.30 p.m. today the Minister will publish the concessions which are being made available. As I informed Deputy Martin, the schedule will be laid out today.