A TD for Fine Gael has said that the party has “committed” to exempting working farmers from the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT).
Mayo TD Michael Ring brought forward a motion on the issue to this week’s meeting of Fine Gael’s parliamentary party.
According to Ring, the motion called on the government to exempt active farmland from the Residential Zoned Land Tax as it is “causing aggravation and upset, in particular to farming families who are genuine farming families and do not want to sell their land”.
According to Ring, the motion was formally adopted by members of the Fine Gael parliamentary party, which included the party’s ministers, TDs, senators, and MEPs.
The meeting took place yesterday (Wednesday, July 3).
“[This is] a good development for all farmers. It is important to ensure that hard-working farmers and their families are not penalised by a tax aimed at land hoarders when the construction of more homes is required,” Ring said.
He added: “Farmers who use their land for food production are not property speculators or developers and cannot be treated as such.”
According to the government, the aim of the RZLT is primarily to incentivise landowners to activate existing planning permissions and carry out development for housing on identified lands.
Ring said: “There was widespread agreement from colleagues and ministers that farmers should not be financially punished for a tax which is aimed at those who are sitting on idle land. Farmers are most certainly not doing that. They are critical to this country’s financial prosperity and wellbeing.”
He added: “I am delighted to say I have secured the agreement of the Fine Gael parliamentary party that farmers will be exempt from the tax. I look forward to working with the department officials to ensure this happens as soon as possible.”
Ring said that the tax could not be abolished as it would “send out entirely the wrong message” to those who are hoarding land.
“We need homes built in this country and those who are sitting on idle land which can be used for home construction must pay taxes on it,” the TD said.