Martin’s VAT vow on homes ‘illegal’

FIANNA Fail leader Micheal Martin’s election pledge to reduce VAT on new homes is not legally possible, Fine Gael has claimed.

In last week’s Sunday Independent, Mr Martin said he would consider reducing VAT on new homes if Fianna Fail was in Government after next year’s general election.

But the Fianna Fail leader said he would only introduce the policy if he was sure the VAT cut did not go into the pockets of property developers.

Fine Gael TD Colm Brophy is now claiming Mr Martin’s proposal is not possible due to strict European Union VAT rules.

Mr Brophy said the proposal from the Fianna Fail leader was “reckless and ridiculous”.

“What the Fianna Fail leader called for, regarding VAT for first-time buyers, is simply illegal. How can he not know this?

“The man was a Government minister for 14 years. A simple query would have established this, as opposed to flinging it out to the country,” Mr Brophy said.

“This is further clear proof that Fianna Fail, under the guidance of Deputy Martin, cannot put forward concrete thought-out policies or plans that would benefit the country.

Fianna Fail representatives publicly call for ill-thought, wild and fantasy proposals that can’t even stand up to the first examination,” he added.

Mr Brophy said Fianna Fail are “simply making up suggestions as they go along”.

“The whole notion would be laughable but only for the fact he is trying to put himself forward as our next Taoiseach,” he added.

Mr Brophy clashed with Mr Martin’s party last weekend, after he released an online political attack ad, claiming the majority of Fianna Fail’s front bench had not produced a policy document since they had been elected.

He said only five of Fianna Fail’s 22 front-bench spokespeople had written a policy document since the minority Government came together in mid-2016.

Fianna Fail TDs reacted angrily to the suggestions and took to social media to highlight the work they have undertaken in their portfolios.

They also accused Fine Gael and Mr Brophy of purposely publishing inaccurate information about Fianna Fail TDs.

A Fine Gael source said: “Fianna Fail take the bait every time and the video has been viewed more than 100,000 times on Twitter, so job done.”