Pursue Developers For Levies: Sinn Féin

The Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Local Government, Martin Ferris has demanded that local authorities pursue property developers who owe more than €420 million in unpaid levies.

The Kerry North TD was responding to a newspaper report detailing the extent to which councils around the country are in severe financial difficulties largely due to the collapse of the property market and house prices.

He also said that questions needed to be asked about the large amounts of money awarded to private contractors in situations where the proper tendering procedures do not appear to have been adhered to.


Deputy Ferris said: "The fact that so many local authorities are currently in debt, which is having an adverse impact on services, while at the same time being owed vast sums of money by developers is an absurd situation.

"These people, many of whom made huge amounts of money during the property boom need to be pursued and the unpaid levies need to be collected in order to address the debt crisis and to ease the pressure on local authority finances and services."

He continued: "Of course many of the properties of these developers will soon become assets of the state when NAMA takes on their debts. Under this new situation local authorities must be prioritised in housing the thousands of people on social housing waiting lists throughout the state."

(NS/BMcC)