Dessie Ellis
Question:574. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will estimate the annual revenue from the proposed vacant site levy and the cost of administration. [25053/15]
View answerTuesday, 23 June 2015
Questions (574, 619)
Dessie Ellis
Question:619. Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the number of sites that would currently come under the proposed vacant site levy; and if he will provide an estimate for the amount raised by the levy annually. [25056/15]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 574 and 619 together.
The Urban Regeneration and Housing Bill 2015, which was approved by Government and published earlier this month, is primarily focussed on addressing housing supply-related issues with a view to facilitating increased activity in the housing construction sector, particularly in the Dublin area where demand currently outstrips supply.
One of the main provisions of the Bill is the introduction of a vacant site levy aimed at incentivising the development of vacant, underutilised sites in central urban areas for residential or regeneration development. Under the provisions of the Bill, the levy will be the registered owners of vacant sites at a rate of 3% of the market value of each site, with reduced or zero rates applying in specific circumstances. No more than 10% of the levy monies received by planning authorities may be used on their collection and administration costs. At this time, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of vacant sites that might be covered by the measure, the annual levies that may be raised, or the collection and administration costs of planning authorities involved in its operation.