Deputy Jackie Cahill is welcoming reports that his party colleagues in Finance and Housing portfolios are working to exclude active farmland from Residential Zoned Land Tax(RZLT) in the upcoming Budget. The Tipperary TD says the pausing and deferral of RZLT by another 12 months, as well as the design of a new RZLT system that excludes active farmland, will give certainty to farmers. The tax was to be effective in February 2024 but the government deferred it in last year’s budget for a year in the face of lobbying from the farming sector.
Deputy Cahill says that by excluding active farmers from RZLT, the government would be protecting both farmland and food production while showing support for farming livelihoods. The Thurles based TD says it is a Fianna Fáil priority to partner with farmers and rural communities. The Tax was to be levied at a rate of 3% of the market value of the land involved in an effort to activate the construction of homes.
