Ahern admits abolishing property tax was ‘mistake’ but blames media

FORMER taoiseach Bertie Ahern admitted the abolition of property taxes under his government contributed to the housing bubble.

On the second anniversary of his dramatic resignation from office, Mr Ahern said if he “had one regret” it was getting rid of the Residential Property Tax in 1997 following a promise to do so in his first general election as leader of Fianna Fáil.

“That was a mistake,” he said, but rather than accepting responsibility he laid the blame on “media and political pressure” to get rid of the tax.