Conway Walsh says new concrete tax should be scrapped

Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh has called on Minister for Finance to scrap the government’s new levy on precast concrete products and says a Sinn Féin government would deliver genuinely affordable homes for the people of Mayo.

She says the recently-introduced concrete products levy is deeply flawed and will result in higher housing and building costs for workers and families.

“Back in October 2022, Minister Paschal Donohoe made repeated claims that the Defective Concrete Blocks Levy excluded precast products, from blocks and paving to lintels and posts these claims were false.

“It was clear as soon as the Finance Bill was published that poured concrete, a key element of precast products, would be subject to the levy.

“Sinn Féin are once again calling for this levy – essentially a tax on new homes - to be scrapped.

“We raised this issue directly with department officials at the Finance Committee last October. The false statements from Minister Donohoe led to confusion within the construction sector and among wider industry.

“Minister Donohoe should correct the Dáil record, and the government should scrap this levy,” she added before saying there is a huge housing crisis locally and nationally.

“We are facing a housing crisis of unprecedented proportions in Mayo, and across the country. Rents in Mayo have increased by nearly 24% in the last year, one of the highest rises in the country. The average rent across the county is a staggering €1,222 per month. And now the government is unnecessarily increasing the cost of house building.

“Once again, ordinary people are left paying the price for government’s failures. People in Mayo are trapped paying out of control rents, or living in cramped accommodation while they watch their dream of home ownership continue to slip even further out of reach.

“Only a Sinn Féin-led government will stand up for first-time buyers and deliver the genuinely affordable homes that they need and deserve. Our housing plan would deliver genuinely affordable homes for people in Mayo.”