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join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Tánaiste Simon Harris picture outside Government Buildings this morning.Emma Hickey/The Journal derelict sites tax Harris says some local authorities ‘appalling’ on dereliction as he brings plans for new tax Simon Harris is bringing the proposal for the new derelict sites tax to Cabinet today. 11.00am, 16 Jun 2026 Share options TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS said some local authorities are doing an “appalling” job at collecting the derelict sites levy as he prepared to bring the proposal for a new replacement
tax to Cabinet. The new tax, the derelict sites tax, is payable by owners of derelict sites and will be collected by Revenue rather than local authorities, as is the case for the current levy. The current levy is charged at 7% of a property’s market value, which continues to apply until the site is no longer deemed derelict, and unpaid levies attract interest of 1.25% per month. The new tax is not expected to be lower than that rate. It will be self-assessed and
backed by Revenue enforcement powers. Harris has been outspoken in his criticism of local authorities that fail to collect the levy owed by these site owners. Advertisement Speaking to reporters before Cabinet this morning, Harris said he was “aghast” at the responses from some councils when watching a recent RTÉ documentary on the matter. He dismissed criticism from the Association of Local Government, a national body representing county and city councillors, that there are limitations in legislation on the government’s side. “In 2024, in the
full year, 11 local authorities collected zero euro and zero cent. Now, there aren’t 11 local authorities in the country that don’t have dereliction issues,” he said. Harris acknowledged that ultimately it is on the government to tackle the housing crisis, but he said “we’ve just had enough”. “We’re just going to bring in a derelict sites tax, and we’re going to collect it ourselves through revenue,” he said. The Tánaiste said he hopes the new tax will come in during 2027. At present, city
and county councils are required to chase the owners of properties to collect that money from them. The idea is that the financial penalty imposed will encourage owners to either sell their derelict site or to bring it back into use themselves. Related Reads What’s so different about the new Derelict Property Tax and the old measure it’s replacing? Everyone should have a home but the evidence suggests Ireland doesn’t believe it New apartments, empty shops: The quiet scandal of Ireland’s modern dereliction However, most
councils don’t actually collect the money that’s owed, with unpaid levies totalling around €32 million at the start of the year. Harris said the tax is intended to change behaviour rather than as a money-gathering exercise. “It’s very clear that this is a tax that’s about behavioural change, and by making it clear that we’re no longer going to ask nicely at a local level, but we’re going to ask the Revenue commissioners to make sure this is collected,” Harris concluded. It was a busy
morning outside Government Buildings as the Taoiseach, Tánaiste, and five other ministers stopped to take questions from the media. Today’s Cabinet agenda has a “real focus on housing”, the Tánaiste said. Housing Minister James Browe stopped to speak on legislation on the registration of short-term lets that he is bringing to Cabinet. Transport Minister Darragh O’Brien discussed the bill providing for the removal of Dublin Airport’s passenger cap, which is to be approved today. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone. A
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Simon Harris, derelict sites tax, derelict sites levy, Revenue, local authorities, Cabinet, housing crisis, short-term lets, Dublin Airport passenger cap, dereliction