South Dublin Council backs Sinn Féin housing proposals
BY ROBBIE MacGABHANN
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Seán Crowe
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Sinn Féin's new proposals on tackling the housing crisis won cross party support this week in South Dublin Council. Councillors from Fianna Fáil, Labour and the Progressive Democrats voted with Sinn Féin to pass a motion calling on the minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy to consider increasing Capital Gains Tax on speculative home owners and introducing rent control in the Dublin housing market.
The motion, from Sinn Féin Councillor Seán Crowe, proposed that Capital Gains Tax be increased on a two-year basis to 40% and then 60% rates.
``The idea behind the proposals'' was, according to Crowe, that ``throughout the South Dublin County Council area there are possibly thousands of homes that have been bought as investment vehicles. They are not family homes and were purchased at what now would seem to be paltry prices''.
``The owners of such dwellings have seen a huge rise in the money value of their assets. They have also been able to enjoy a hugely increased income stream from the houses in the form of rent. In many cases, the rent being paid bears no relation to costs borne by the speculator who purchased it''.
The second part of the Sinn Féin motion was to introduce rent control linked to the value of a house's actual purchase price. This would help protect tenants who have seen rents in Dublin spiral upwards over the last two years.
Speaking to An Phoblacht, Crowe said the council's support for the proposals ``were a small first step in a process that could transform the lives and living conditions of thousands of Dublin families''.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/aprn.gif)