ICSA president Sean McNamara has said that the reported deferral of the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) for twelve months, to advance a new system for the tax, is a welcome development. “ICSA has consistently opposed including actively farmed land in this tax. Therefore, the news that government ministers are working on a system to exempt active farmland from the tax is very encouraging and provides much-needed reassurance to concerned farmers,” he said.

The RZLT was set to take effect in February 2025, with a 3% tax applied to the land’s market value.

“It was always deeply unfair to expect farmers to pay a 3% tax on land they are actively farming, especially when the land’s value has been artificially inflated. It is also unjust to target farmers when there are plenty of derelict sites, unused properties, and land held by developers and other speculators in cities and towns that could be developed instead. In short, farmers who are committed to farming their land should have the right to continue doing so without the threat of financial ruin.”

Mr McNamara said that ICSA will continue to work to ensure that active farmland is not, and never will be, included in the RZLT.

ENDS