Ministers WILL have to pay water charges for their second homes, after all

The Department of Finance confirmed that a loophole allowing ministers to claim the charges as an expense was set to be closed.

THE DEPARTMENT OF Finance has confirmed that Ministers will, in fact, have to pay water charges on their second homes.

Yesterday it emerged that ministers could claim the cost of water charges on a second residence as an expense, when Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams raised the issue in the Dáil.

In a statement released this afternoon, the Department said that Finance Minister Michael Noonan would make an amendment to Section 836 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 to “exclude bills from Irish Water as a deductible expense”.

This is the Revenue guidance on ministers being exempt from water charges on their second homes pic.twitter.com/H1vTIRwdMG
— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) September 30, 2014

TheJournal Politics / Twitter

A Department spokesman told TheJournal.ie that the move will “ensure that [water charges] are an expense that ministers pay for”.

Many ministers who are based outside Dublin have a second home in the capital.

Read: Ministers ‘can claim water charges as expenses on their second homes’

Read: From flushing the loo to a cup of tea – how much will water cost?

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