Finance Minister Simon Harris rejects proposal to abolish stamp duty for first-time buyers
Finance Minister Simon Harris said there are no plans to eliminate stamp duty for first-time homebuyers, despite support from the Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil colleagues.
During a Fianna Fáil think-in in Tullamore, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the removal of stamp duty for first-time buyers as a sensible proposal that merits debate. The policy, previously abolished in 2010, has been repeatedly raised in the Dáil by Cork South-Central TD Séamus McGrath and supported by housing minister James Browne. Finance Minister Simon Harris, however, confirmed that the upcoming budget will not include any changes to stamp duty, noting that the government has already taken tax steps to support housing and that the fiscal package has finite capacity.
He emphasized that the decision is not driven by party politics but by overall tax considerations. Harris reiterated that no programme-for-government initiative currently calls for scrapping the duty.
