Murphy deserves pat on back

am surprised that it is reported

(Irish Independent, August 16) that concern has been expressed over Government plans to incentivise nursing home patients to rent out their vacant properties.

It should be emphasised that as these homes would count as primary residences, they can be straightforwardly exempted from any plans for a vacant property tax. Plans for any such levy should focus instead on the concept of nonprimary residences left vacant, as this is more straightforward to detect and is indeed the methodology availed of for the Empty Homes Tax in Vancouver.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has, in fact, confirmed that nursing home residents are to be exempted from any such tax plans.

It is clear that nursing home residents would have nothing to lose from such plans and only something to gain with the opportunity to accrue rental income that has been effectively curtailed by the Fair Deal scheme arrangement to automatically deduct 80pc of rental income.

A number of constituents indicated to me previously that they would like to have family vacant homes rented out on this basis, but complained of the Fair Deal scheme arrangement being too onerous.

Vacant homes can become unkempt very quickly if unsupervised and making it more possible for these properties to be rented by young professionals sharing would improve their upkeep.

Every politician in the country knows there is a given number of vacant properties in most housing estates – they see this when canvassing at election time.

Mr Murphy deserves significant credit for this initiative, which is long overdue. Cllr John Kennedy Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council