Sligo councillor describes property tax as ‘extortion’ amid call for it to be abolished

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

A motion before Sligo County Council’s monthly meeting last Monday heard Sinn Fein’s Arthur Gibbons call for the abolition of the property tax on the family home as he questioned its legality and called it “extortion.”

Speaking on behalf of his motion which seeks that the local authority call on the government to abolish the property tax Cllr Gibbons said “A glimpse of hope” had been offered when “Enda Kenny said how unjust it was and what was the first thing he did when he got into power.”

Questioning the legality of the property tax on the family home Cllr Gibbons said, “I took out a mortgage for 25 years, the house was not mine until the mortgage was fully paid.”

Describing the tax as “extortion”, Cllr Gibbons said, “It’s not a property tax, it’s a tax on your home.”

Article Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.