Tax breaks for developers and relaxed planning laws on the table as Fine Gael grapple with new ways to solve housing crisis

24 comments

  2. I love hearing new, unique ideas. These guys really come up with genius plans to solve tough political issues, I understand why people keep voting for them.

  3. “The situation is becoming critical, why don’t these clowns DO SOMETHING??”

    *government tries to incentivise building homes and cut planning red tape*

    “Look at these jokers giving tax breaks to developers!”

  4. A VAT reduction would help – as pointed out it’s 0 in the UK for new builds.

    And I don’t see any party getting to their proclaimed target build rate without changes in planning laws.

    Thinking about possible solutions/improvements out loud isn’t a bad thing

  6. Relaxed planning laws! Glorious (no sarcasm)

    We are in a national housing emergency. I couldn’t give a fuck if doreen thinks an apartment building is ugly. The nimbyism in this country is genuinely sickening.

    I hope someone gives dcc a slap around their ears over their height restrictions too. High density is the solution to so many issues. You could kill traffic in urban areas by largely pedestrianising city centres. Public transport only (and deliveries at certain hours). This transport then becomes more economically viable and efficient given the density of the areas they serve

  7. If there was a way to ensure the tax break was passed onto the customer it could be a good idea.

    Scrapping planning laws I’m not so sure about. They already kinda attempted that with the SHDs and they keep losing those cases in the high court. Also there are tons of sites already with planning permission but for whatever reasons developers aren’t building on them.

    Also interesting that FG are admitting Housing for all needs to be changed yet at the same time seemingly don’t want the housing portfolio back. Potentially hoping to use it as a stick to beat FF with at the next election?

  9. The bigger issue is moneymen pulling the plug on projects at the moment due to fear of recession.

    Next year is going to be a bumpy ride for us all.

  11. If the last few weeks in the UK have shown anything it’s how governments must always keep investor and market sentiment on-side. This is not an easy problem to legislate your way out of despite how it may seem at face value.

  12. The left: “Social and public housing. Build smaller homes. Rent control. Government buy land and real estate. Focus on the construction of affordable housing instead of luxury homes. Limitation of land speculation. Higher taxes on returns from real estate investments.”

    Government: “What if we just ask the rich to pay less tax. That’s gotta work this time! The houses will simply trickle down!”

  13. I’m all out of fucks, people want to say this is constructive and positive on the government’s part but it’s really just a continuation of the decade of policy that got us here in the first place. I’m sure it’ll start working any day now…

  16. So as capital begins to dry up and precious margins, which have been very very good the past few years, are tightening the lobbyists are now looking for more taxpayer money.

    I say fuck that.

    As sites begin to slow down there is an opportunity for a proper housing policy shift. All these labourers will be looking for sites. I say the gov borrow big, set price at x and say here, property industry take it or leave it.

    But of course this idea is incompatible with the holy market and the followers of neoliberalism.

  17. Relaxing planning laws now will just delay any builds that are near construction. Developers will go back to create new plans to try put in extra units.

    I can think of 2 at least developments that had planning before the last big change, one of which had started it’s phase 1 construction. They both resubmitted to get extra units, lost their challenges and now 5 or 6 years later, there are no new apartments/ houses built. If the developers had built what they had planning for there could have been a few hundred extra place by now.

  18. More half assed shitty supply side measures that will do nothing. Set up a consistently funded state building company with some decent procurement staff and just get to work

  19. The first bit of sense to come out of this government for a decade on housing.

    In response of the 2007 property bubble, we understandably added taxes and increased regulation. But, this has obviously been overdone, we have house prices at record highs but still have a viability gap.

    Incredible that it’s taken so long for the discussion to shift to the real issue, but we’re finally here. It might not be popular with the general public, but this needs follow thru or we’ll have a decade of this mess.

  21. They haven’t even fucking tried the ways everyone knows will work. Build some fucking houses, stop funds buying new houses, expand the help to buy to include second hand homes, make the vacant property tax €50,000 a year or 20% of its market value whichever is higher, make the fines for unregistered tenants €10,000, make the profits from renting each additional home pay progressively more and more

  22. Tax breaks never seem to benefit the right people. Relaxed planning laws? Ha! Micha homes incoming.

  23. relaxing restrictions?, you mean the thing people have been complaining about for ages?, is fg really a part for people who get out of bed in the morning or are they too lazy to have done this ages ago?.

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