The Sunday Business Post has reported by a long-awaited overhaul of property tax in the State has been delayed as Minister for Transport Shane Ross is demanding that pensioners and people with disabilities be exempt from the charge.
The Government has worked out a way to avoid households facing steep property tax rises next year when property is revalued for the first time since the tax was introduced in 2013, with property owners facing different rates, depending on where they live, the newspaper said.
However, the review, which was expected to be completed by the end of 2018, has been pushed into 2019, as Mr Ross pushes for exemptions.
Sky takes on ComReg over Eir broadband charge
Sky Ireland has launched a High Court action against telecommunications regulator ComReg over its decision in October to allow Eir to charge rivals €170 for every customer that joins its rural network, the Sunday Times reported.
Sky alleges that ComReg approved the new charges without fair consultation or transparency on how the fee was arrived at, it said.
Oaktree advances on Players Square homes scheme
The Sunday Times also reports that US private equity group Oaktree is in advanced talks to fund the acquisition of one of the biggest development sites in the city.
Oaktree is seeking to refinance €100 million of borrowings of Players Square Limited, the corporate owner of the site, spanning the former Player Wills cigarette factory and Bailey Gibson packaging plant, it said. The site has with lapsed planning permission for 754 apartments and townhouses, a new school and other facilities. Nama controls the site, having appointed receivers to it several years ago.
TransferMate snaps up Swiss firm
Kilkenny payments company TransferMate has agreed to buy Swiss firm Devisenwerk, giving it access to one of the most important financial hubs in Europe, the Sunday Independent reports.
The newspaper says that TransferMate, part of Terry Clune's Taxback Group, has regulatory approval across the EU, the US and a range of other markets. Switzerland is a key market for corporate funds and for investment banking for high-net-worth individuals.
Cairn gets go-ahead for 459 homes in west Dublin homes
Dublin-listed developer Cairn Homes has received planning permission to build 459 homes along Fortunestown Lane, near Citywest Business Park in west Dublin, the Sunday Independent reports.
The newspaper says that Cairn, led by chief executive Michael Stanley, his looking to build 336 apartments and 123 houses on the site. Cairn signalled last month that it intends to build 550-600 units on land formerly owned by RTÉ in Montrose in Dublin 4, 17 per cent more than previously projected.
