Fields at the centre of a dispute on the implementation of the vacant site levy have been taken off the list of properties liable to the tax, as new Government guidelines are expected following a national-level meeting on the issue.

An updated version of the vacant site register published by Kilkenny County Council shows that two blocks of actively farmed land are no longer affected by the levy, which is worth 3% to 7% of the value of the property each year.

Joe Mulhall, who farms one of the properties with his family, said planners had finally come round to the legal advice he and other landowners had obtained when their land was originally listed, that it was not “vacant or idle” under current legislation.

“They have wasted six months of our time but at least we are vindicated,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

The revision follows a meeting between planners from local authorities around the country and Department of Housing officials last week. “The Department advised local authorities not to take any further action on the application of the levy on farmland for the time being pending the issue of further clarification from the Department on the matter in the coming weeks,” a Department spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Zoning

This is expected to take the form of a new Department circular to local authorities to replace previous instructions that “the levy may be applied” when land has been zoned for residential use but “may currently or on an interim basis have an agricultural use”.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing John Paul Phelan previously told the Irish Farmers Journal the levy should not be used to remove farming families from their land, but developers who lease out sites to farmers should remain liable.

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