Taxback.com has released research which shows that 89% of Irish people do not believe the Government’s handling of the housing crisis is adequate.

The tax refund specialists asked 1,000 of their customers throughout the country for their views on the housing crisis and what possible solutions the Government could put forward that might alleviate the situation.

Eighty two percent think the Government should offer tax breaks to business owners to convert disused premises into housing, while 66% believe that businesses that have sizeable unused property space should have to pay higher taxes.

Forty percent say the current housing budget should be put to better use and that there is no need to redistribute funds from other areas of public expenditure. Eighty five percent would support incentives for the owners of derelict properties to encourage them to convert their premises into liveable rental accommodation and 64% say that owners with derelict property should be levied with the additional tax.

Commenting on the findings, Commercial Director at Taxback.com, Eileen Devereux said, "We asked people if they believe the Government are taking the right approach to housing crisis and 89% said they did not. Notwithstanding the complexities of Ireland’s housing crisis, it seems that people are overwhelmingly dissatisfied with the Government’s handling of the issue to date.

She added, "This is perhaps not wholly unexpected given the myriad of news stories each day highlighting the difficulties faced by thousands of families across the country. As taxpayers who contribute to the welfare of the country, we thought it would be interesting to see if people think their tax money should be spent differently."

Source: www.businessworld.ie