He says over €26 million of worth of levies had yet to be collected
The Tánaiste has renewed his criticism of local councils for not tackling dereliction effectively.
Simon Harris is set to bring plans for a new Derelict Property Tax to Cabinet tomorrow, which will be administered by Revenue instead of local authorities.
According to the Tánaiste, a number of councils failed to collect any taxes on derelict properties in 2024, and over 26 million euro of worth of levies had yet to be collected.
He says tens of thousands of homes could be built on derelict sites, but councils are not doing enough to bring them back into use.
Almost 19,500 properties were deemed derelict at the end of last year, but only around 2,100 are on official registers.
Simon Harris says too many vacant sites are being left idle.
However, some experts have said that the Tánaiste is trying to shift the blame off of his Government.
Carol Tallon, a PhD Researcher in Spatial planning, says Simon Harris' comments are an attempt to shift blame.
Tom Philips, Executive Chairman of Tom Phillips and Associates, says the Government should take responsibility for the derelict sites it owns before pointing the finger at local authorities.
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