Property tax to be taken from people's wages

The forthcoming property tax will be taken from people’s wages, Minister for Finance Michael Noonan has admitted.

Taking the controversial payments at source from PAYE workers will help avoid the embarrassment the government has suffered in relation to the household charge, which so far has been paid by just one million homeowners, well short of the target of around 1.8 million.

There are a number of obstacles that need to be overcome in order for such a method to work. There are fears, for example, that farmers and the self employed will be still able to avoid the tax while it is not know how pensioners and others who are not earning a wage will pay.