By Sarah Gill
12th May 2023
12th May 2023
Your speedy summary of today's must-read stories.
Landlord tax treatment
Finance Minister Michael McGrath has said that any changes to the tax treatment of landlords in Budget 2024 must be “approached with caution”. Both Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien have signalled their willingness to examine changes to the tax treatment of landlords in recent months, with Varadkar backing better tax rules for landlords, tellings reporters that there had been a “demonisation” of landlords in recent years. A report from the National Economic and Social Council recommended that the tax treatment of landlords be improved but that it should be linked with longer tenancies. McGrath added that any decision on additional tax relief for landlords would not be made until Budget 2024 in October.
Irish swimming sites
The Bathing Water Quality Report from the Environmental Protection Agency states that the majority of officially designated swimming sites in Ireland have excellent or good quality, with 144 out of 148 bathing waters meeting or exceeding the minimum required standard, and 117 classified as excellent or good. The official bathing season in Ireland starts on 1 June and runs until 15 September.
Enoch Burke
Enoch Burke will not face criminal prosecution for repeatedly turning up at Wilson’s Hospital secondary school after being arrested for alleged trespass just days after being sacked following a long-running row sparked by his refusal, on religious grounds, to comply with a request to call a transgender student by a new name and by their preferred pronouns. It is understood the DPP believed the necessary ingredients did not exist to sustain a prosecution.
Cork shooting
A man in his early 40s was shot in the abdomen shortly after 5am last night near the Maxol Station on Glasheen Road on the southside of Cork city. The victim managed to drive himself to Cork University Hospital, where he has undergone surgery. It’s been reported that he is in a stable condition, but it is unknown how many times he was shot.
Profiteering
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that there is evidence some companies are profiteering — securing “significantly” bigger margins on their profits in Ireland than they would in other markets — during the cost-of-living crisis, but that windfall taxes would give money back to the public. He said that the competition regulator has “enormous powers” to intervene and carry out investigations into unfair trading, price fixing, or price signalling.
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