I welcome the deferral of the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) to allow amendments to be made to exempt functional farm holdings from the tax.

“This is a matter I raised the then Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the Dail and I received a commitment at that time that farmers whose land is used for farming purposes should not be liable for this tax.

The deferral of the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) for twelve months is to allow for amendments to be made to protect farmers who are actively farming land in this.

It is a sensible move by the Minister for Finance, and I welcome the fact that the commitment given to me in the Dáil is now being honoured and the Government are working on a system to exempt active farmland from the tax.

The RZLT was set to take effect in February 2025, with a 3% tax applied to the land’s market value.

It was always deeply unfair to expect farmers to pay a 3% tax on land they are actively farming, especially when the land’s value has been artificially inflated. It is also unjust to target farmers when there are plenty of derelict sites, unused properties, and land held for speculation purposes which should be taxed.

It is a right for farmers who are committed to farming their land not to have an additional tax burden which would threaten the viability of their holding”.