SENIORS support group,
Age Action, has urged the Government to protect
older people on low incomes when framing next year's
property tax.
The organisation said the property tax "must take
into account the difficulties low income families
would have with a purely value-based tax".
"Age Action believes that any tax should be
income-based rather than value-based to allow for
people whose home has acquired a high market value
that does not reflect their income or ability to
pay," said spokesman, Gerard Scully.
"It is grossly unfair to penalise people who bought
moderately priced houses which the market now
imputes a much higher value.
"Age Action also believes there should be a cap
placed on the percentage value of a property that
the Government is allowed to charge against that
property.
"This is to protect the property of older people
having potentially three charges being levied
against it, i.e. the property tax, the Nursing Home
Support Scheme Charge (Fair Deal) and the proposed
Community Care Charge." Mr Scully said many
pensioners sacrificed much over the years for
security of tenure.
"Many low and medium income families have scrimped
to buy their homes to pass onto their families while
paying very high income tax. They have a right not
to have their sacrifice rendered meaningless," he
added. |
