15/01/2015

Tax Breaks For Landlords 'Not Any Kind Of Solution'

Proposals by the Environment Minister to give tax breaks to landlords have been dismissed as "a sop" by Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Dessie Ellis, who said the move would not help renters in danger of losing their homes.

Deputy Ellis said that the proposal was not "any kind of solution" when the problem is rising demand and low supply of rental accommodation.

"Landlords feel they can ask for anything and will find someone desperate enough to pay it," Deputy Ellis said.

"The cost of renting a home in Dublin has gone up by 30-40% in the last few years so tax relief for landlords will only result in greater profit for those currently renting. If there were thousands of homes in Dublin not being rented because of poor returns and rising costs then this policy would make sense. "This is not the case though," he concluded.

(MH/JP)

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