EDITORIAL: Revenue collecting derelict sites levies could make a big difference
The move could result in councils collecting more derelict site levies than they have historically achieved, provided strict enforcement is carried out
For years, Ireland's fight against dereliction has been undermined by a simple problem: the State was often unable to collect the penalties it imposed.
Local authorities could identify derelict properties, place them on official registers, and levy charges against owners, but too often those charges remained unpaid.
The result was a system that lacked credibility and failed to provide a meaningful incentive for owners to bring neglected buildings back into use.
The decision to transfer responsibility for collecting derelict sites levies to Revenue has the potential to change that.
This year after a lot of campaigning from longstanding anti-dereliction campaigners Frank O'Connor and Jude Sherry, it was decided that Revenue will take over the collection of fines from the county councils.
Councils have for years struggled to enforce or collect outstanding derelict site levies, whether due to funding reasons or historical ones.
There is a sense in Ireland that we should not fine people who own property, even if it is laying vacant.
“The poor property owner” might have been said in the past.
Nowadays, with a worsening housing crisis year-on-year, the mentality that something needs to be done is usually stronger than this historical sympathy.
While the introduction of Revenue collecting levies is good news, the campaigners have cautioned that the policy requires strict enforcement to be effective still.
Revenue will begin collecting these levies after 2027 and only time can tell whether they will be enforced in the same way as tax collection is in Ireland.