Draft zoned land map of Kilkenny for Residential Zoned Land Tax is published

Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, has announced the publication of a Draft Residential Zoned Land Tax Map of Kilkenny, by Kilkenny County Council, as part of the implementation of the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT).

The RZLT measure is an important component of the pathway to increasing new housing supply, contained in the Government’s Housing for All plan to 2030. 

The aim of the tax, which will apply from 2024 to relevant land at a rate of 3% of market value, is to activate land for residential development throughout the country, rather than to raise revenue.

Speaking following the Draft Residential Zoned Land Tax Maps’ publication, Minister Donohoe said:

“I welcome the publication of the Draft Residential Zoned Land Tax Map by Kilkenny County Council. This is an important step in the RZLT implementation process whereby land within scope of the tax has been identified by Kilkenny County Council. Landowners whose land is included on a draft map should now review the map and consider if their land meets the criteria for inclusion and make submissions to Kilkenny County Council accordingly. Residential properties, while they might be on the map, are not liable for the tax if they are subject to LPT.

“In the course of 2023, supplemental and a final map will be prepared by Kilkenny County Council identifying the land within scope; the final map will be revised annually from 2025 onwards.

"Kilkenny requires increased housing supply to meet its housing needs. The RZLT aims to incentivise landowners to activate existing zoned and serviced residential development land for housing on identified lands and lead to the building of more homes.”

Commenting on the publication of the Draft Residential Zoned Land Tax maps, Minister O’Brien said: 

“It’s estimated that only one-sixth of residentially zoned land is activated for housing during a local authority’s six-year Development Plan period. We need to see more suitable land which is serviced and available for housing unlocked for the delivery of homes. Landowners now have an opportunity to make submissions to Kilkenny County Council if they consider that their land does not fall into the scope of the tax, or if landowners wish to seek the re-zoning of their land. The publication of these Draft Maps indicating the land that will be subject to the tax in 2024 is an important step in the process of introducing this measure, a key action in Housing for All. ” 

Homeowners will not have to pay the Residential Zoned Land Tax if they own a dwelling which appears on the local authorities’ Residential Zoned Land Tax Maps, where the property is subject to the Local Property Tax (LPT). If a homeowner owns such a dwelling, where the land/gardens/yards attached to it are greater than 0.4047 hectares (1 acre), they will have to register for the Residential Zoned Land Tax with the Revenue Commissioners, but they will not be liable to pay the tax. It will be possible to register from late 2023 onwards.