SITE OWNERS HAVE paid last-minute taxes totalling €28m in recent days on land that is zoned for housing but where housing works have not yet started.

Revenue has confirmed that around 1,800 returns have been filed for Residential-Zoned Land Tax (RZLT), a tax that is charged on land which has been zoned for residential use to push landowners to build houses.

The deadline to file for RZLT with Revenue was originally 23 May this year, but the day before, Revenue extended the deadline to 30 May.

At that time, only taxes of around €12m had been paid.

Revenue said it was aware that some site owners had started to register for RZLT but had not yet submitted a tax return.

Over the course of the following week in the lead-up to the extended deadline, a further €28m was paid, bringing the total amount to almost €40 million.

2025 is the first year that landowners have been required to pay RZLT.

“In the days leading up to the filing deadline Revenue observed a notable increase in the number of site owners registering for RZLT and filing a return,” Revenue said in a statement.

“To support site owners in complying with their new obligations under RZLT, Revenue extended the 2025 filing deadline by one week, to 30 May 2025,” it said.

“Site owners have continued to engage with the RZLT registration and filing system in the days following the extended filing deadline.

“While this level of engagement is welcome, site owners are reminded that RZLT is a self-assessed tax and, as such, they are expected to take all reasonable steps to determine whether they have an RZLT liability and, if so, to ensure they meet their pay and file obligations.”

Revenue has stated that late RZLT returns will be subject to surcharges ranging from 10% to 30%, depending on how long the return is delayed.