Ciara Kelly has said that the unloved property tax reminds her of the poll tax under Thatcher. 

Introduced during the austerity years, as the Fine Gael-Labour Government sought new ways to raise revenue, the Local Property Tax was hugely controversial at the time. 

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against it and many refused to pay it. 

Earlier this month, Revenue wrote to homeowners across the country, asking them to re-evaluate the value of their property. 

Given the huge growth in property prices across the State, many will likely find themselves pushed into higher bands and forced to pay extra. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, presenter Ciara Kelly said she understands why so many hate paying the property tax. 

“It reminds me of an inheritance tax,” she explained. 

“It is a wealth tax - there’s no question about it - but it is a highly emotive tax. 

“I think largely, as a country, we have accepted we pay income tax and VAT - those are things that we don’t baulk at overly. 

“But this one feels like it strikes at the core of your family home, your family’s security, sanctuary - all of that sort of stuff. 

“There’s a reason I think that we baulk at it.” 

New apartments in the Dublin Docklands. Picture by: Ros Drinkwater / Alamy.

Ciara added that it reminds her of Margaret Thatcher’s poll tax. 

In 1989 and 1990, the British Prime Minister introduced a Community Charge - or poll tax - to replace domestic rates. 

Under the new system, everyone paid the same and its unpopularity led to riots across the country.  

“I don’t like it and I don’t think many people like it,” she said. 

“I don’t think this is the way people want to be taxed; I think there are different ways to tax people and this one is something that is unpalatable to the population.

“This tax sticks in people’s craws - my own as well.”

Images of houses for sale in Dublin today. Picture by: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie.

Co-presenter Shane Coleman said that public services have to be funded somehow and the property tax is one of many ways in which the Government pays for essential services. 

“We want huge budget giveaways,” he said. 

“We want energy credits, we want more Gardaí, we want more teachers, we want more nurses, we want better pay for all those. 

“We want better payments for carers - I could go on for a half an hour on the stuff that we want and demand. 

“And we don’t want a property tax, we don’t want an inheritance tax, we don’t want USC, we don’t want anyone under 21 grand paying any tax, we don’t want to pay VAT for certain things. 

“I’m sorry, where do we think the money comes from for all the stuff that we’re demanding? All the services that we want, the extra services. 

“We want free public transport, we want Metros built; the money can’t all come from multinationals. We need to grow up and cop on in this country. 

“Every civilised country in the world has a property tax; no one gives out about it, but in Ireland we do.”

Main image: Ciara Kelly and Margaret Thatcher. Pictures by: Newstalk and PA.