Property tax - Alternatives are even less attractive

This might be a good week to be a member of one of those contemplative religious orders who has sworn to observe silence and embrace a kind of unthreatening poverty.

You would avoid the pressures of materialism and property because of the support of some people who have chosen a more predicable life defined by income and expenditure. There would be no need to worry about being unemployed, job security, negative equity, an unmanageable mortgage, crippling personal debt, or the long-anticipated Revenue Commissioners property tax letter due in 1.6m homes any day now.

Yesterday afternoon, Revenue launched a website offering its view of how much properties might fetch if mortgages were more easily available. As prices continue to fluctuate, and fall steadily in some areas, some people will challenge official guidelines but it is reasonable to anticipate, or at least hope, that the assessments won’t be too far off the mark. It is reasonable too to accept that if you are liable for the tax you will end up paying it. Revenue has been given a pretty effective toolkit to ensure compliance. The tax can be taken from welfare payments, salaries, or bank accounts.