Earlier this year after he was elected Taoiseach, Simon Harris requested a review of the current Stamp Duty. At the time, he suggested that the 10% rate had not been entirely successful in its goal of curbing the bulk buying of new homes needed for first time buyers. At the time, Mr Harris said there should be a review into the effectiveness of the tax.

Currently, the standard rates of stamp duty on residential property are 1% on values up to €1 million and 2% on values exceeding €1 million.

A higher 10% rate of duty comes in when someone acquires at least 10 properties during any 12-month period.

In May 2021 the government introduced the 10% stamp duty on the bulk purchase of family homes by investment funds. However, in July 2021, the Government passed a controversial amendment to allow funds to side-step the 10% stamp duty if they lease homes back to the State for social housing.

Earlier this month RTE News learned that the review of the stamp duty rate on the purchase of ten or more homes is not advocating for a hike in the 10% rate. This is following Sinn Fein calling for it to be increased to 17% and Labour demanding it be doubled.

The Taoiseach denied that the Government has been engaged in a U-turn when it comes to the issue of doubling stamp duty on the bulk buying of homes, saying it was important to keep the issue under review.

“It’s an appropriate way to do things, as I’ve consistently said in the Dáil since becoming Taoiseach,” he said.

“If you make changes to taxation, you generally do it through the budgetary process. Obviously, the three parties in Government will decide how best to address this, and the Budget will be delivered on 1 October.” The Taoiseach also said he was pleased with the measures that the Government had taken to try and tackle the issue of bulk buying.

Figures released by the Department of Finance show the number of houses bought by non-household entities declined last year. In 2023 these entities purchased 12,201 units, down nearly 10% on the previous year. However, the 2023 purchases equated to 19% of total units purchased. Non-household entities include private companies, charitable organisations and State institutions.

When the activity of private institutional investors is broken out however, the figures show purchases were down 46% in 2023 compared with 2022, with 3319 units purchased last year. This group also sold 4604 units into the market in the same period making them net sellers of homes.

State activity in the housing market, which includes purchases by approved housing bodies and local authorities, increased by 31% to 5,778 units. These homes represented 47% of all purchases by the non-household sector in 2023.

NB – This is a guide for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have an issue requiring legal advice, please contact any of the team at Nolan Farrell & Goff LLP, whose numbers can be found on our website www.nfg.ie, or email info@nfg.ie.