Just 15% of the properties in Kerry for which Vacant Homes Tax returns were filed are actually liable for the tax.
That's according to figures provided to Dáil Éireann by Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath.
Minister McGrath provided an update on the progress of the Vacant Homes Tax, which was expected to help bring thousands of vacant properties back into use.
The Vacant Homes Tax was introduced in Budget 2023, charging three times the rate of Local Property Tax on any property not lived in for more than 30 days in a year.
The tax is based on self-assessed annual returns, which are filed to an online portal by Revenue.
After the property's returns are submitted, the property is assessed for whether it's liable, and then if any tax exemption applies.
Exemptions for the tax can include that it's vacant for reasons such as by court order, while advertised for sale or rent, or due to repair works.
Derelict, or uninhabitable properties, are not liable for this tax.
Nationally, almost 57,000 properties have gone through this process, with just 6,000 deemed liable for the tax, but exemptions have been claimed on 2,500 of these.
In Kerry, Vacant Homes Tax returns have been filed for just over 1,800 properties as of March 4th.
Of these, just 443 properties were deemed liable for the tax, and of these, 159 were exempt from the tax.
This means that just 284 of the 1,800 properties for which returns were filed, are actually liable for the tax to be paid.
According to the figures provided by Minister McGrath, total liability nationally for the tax as of the end of January was €2 million, of which €1.2 million has been collected.
Minister McGrath told the Dáil data is not currently available on the amount of Vacant Homes Tax collected in each local authority area.
