NPPR charge outcry - Department must take the blame

IF public sympathy has been in scarce supply for the owners of ‘second homes’ or or "Non-Principal Private Residence" to use the convoluted language of bureaucracy, it is growing as it becomes increasingly clear that much of the blame for this mess lies squarely at the door of the Department of the Environment.

The upshot is that due to bureaucratic bungling, tens of thousands of people owe local authority debts ranging up to €4,200. With penalties and interest charges, that could increase to over €7,200 by Monday.

At first glance there was little empathy for people facing such demands. Besides the fact that most people are not well off enough to own a second home, the reality is that this payment has been hanging over them since 2009.