The extension of property tax to holiday mobile homes will not affect the travelling community on the grounds that their residences are fitted with wheeled axles.
The Mobile tax extension due to be enacted later this year will be levelled on all permanent holiday mobile homes which are left in situ year round. A Fine Gael government spokesperson stated that all continental chalets across the European regions have been brought in line with property taxes since 2010 and the equivalent Irish model now needs to follow the EU directive.
Mary Connors a spokesperson for Pavee Point Travellers Association insisted that “the Travelling community are happy with the government’s decision to exempt their members from the burden of extra taxes in these hardened times”. She said it was hard enough to keep up with the new water charges and enforcement of the TV licences and was thrilled that the representations of their positions put forward through their local TDs had borne fruit.
Mr Jim Byrnes, Chairperson of The Irish Caravan & Camping Club came out strongly stating their members would not take this sitting down. Mr Byrnes said they were still fighting the enormous water levy’s put on their Caravan Sites and were doing everything possible to avoid passing on these charges to the site residences. He further stated vehemently that “concentration was quickly focused on them after the long hot summer of last year and now that life has been injected into their sites the government should leave them alone for now”.
The government spokesperson was making the point that they were spreading the costs in taxes to all sectors and that families with holiday residences can hardly say that they are the less well off. The spokesperson further added that was seen has fair and just that many people with continental apartments and chalets who were already paying taxes in those countries should not be penalised on their own.
Tara McAdam, the spokesperson for Motorparts.ie, when contacted in relation to the issue, expressed her full support for the exclusion of mobile homes from the property tax. “We’re tyred of the government’s endless attempts to roll out these stealth tax initiatives on Ireland’s road users. We’re delighted that motor homes and camper vans are included in the exemption applied for by the travelling community.”
