Nothing in Finance Bill for farmers affected by Residential Zoned Land Tax

There is no proposed change in the Finance Bill for farmers affected by the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT), despite Taoiseach Leo Varadkar promising in the Dáil that the Government would fix this unjust tax.

IFA Farm Business Chair Rose Mary McDonagh said “while the deferral of the tax is important, the underlying flaws must be addressed.

“Numerous politicians, Ministers and the Taoiseach recognised the unfair situation whereby genuinely farmed land was caught up in the RZLT.

“All agreed that a solution was needed, or in the words of the Taoiseach, that the scheme would be fixed.”

“However, the Finance Bill shows no material change. An extension on the imposition of the tax for 12 months is in place, but if any farmer wishes to have their land de-zoned, they must once again apply to their local authority.

“The majority of farmers who did apply to their local authority at the end of 2022, to have their land de-zoned, had their applications rejected,” she said.

IFA has ongoing contact from farmers who are concerned for the viability of their family farms.

Our analysis shows that on average this tax will be in excess of €2,500 per hectare per year, a figure that no farmer can afford.

The imposition of this land hoarding tax on genuinely farmed land will put farmers out of business.

“Once more I am calling on the Government, and particularly an Taoiseach, to make good on the promise to fix the legislation and make the necessary amendments in the Finance Act to remove all genuinely farmed land from the RZLT.”