Outgoing head of An Bord Pleanala, John O’Connor, offered his support to Site Value Tax in his closing address to the Irish Planning Institute conference. He spoke about the problematic incentives created by revenue dependence on financial transactions:
I would also like to think that, in the future, planning would be better integrated with other policy areas. Taxation and fiscal policies should support the kind of good planning I’ve been talking about. This is why I’ve been advocating a land value tax for some time. The Celtic Tiger era clearly indicated that the demand for property and in particular residential property was determined more by financial considerations than by population projections or demographics. The land use planning system cannot determine or control that demand in a free market economy. It is essential if we are to avoid a recurrence of the boom/bust cycle that demand is not artificially inflated by financial incentives and considerations.
