According to the Government, where agricultural land meets the criteria for falling into scope for the tax, owners of this land will be liable. The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) reports that a number of Government ministers confirmed that the issue ‘will need to be fixed’. This backs up what the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said in the Dáil on May 9, said IFA president, Tim Cullinan.
“The Government should bring forward the required changes to this legislation as soon as possible. Many farmers are very worried about the impact this tax may have on their farm and family and it is not fair for them to have to continue under this level of stress any longer,” he said.
Chair of the IFA Farm Business Committee, Rose Mary McDonagh added: “As previously stated, we are ready to meet and work with Government to find an equitable solution to this issue.
“From IFA analysis, using the average price of zoned land outside of Dublin, farmers could face a tax of over €2,600 per acre, per year, under the current legislation, which is totally unfair and unequitable. The means of identifying genuinely farmed land are available and must be used,” she said.