Sir, Niesje Van Der Grijn's letter (Letters, March 17th) could not be more apt or correct, especially when she states that,"What was managed on so little in the 1950s couldn't be achieved in the boom days".
In the 1950s, with very little money available, there was mass building of council estates in the cities and Land Commission houses in the countryside.
In the 1960s there was a grant of £1,300 for farmers, which in most cases the house was built for, and so there was little or no debt.
The present day rulers will have to study the very effective methods used back then.
– Yours, etc,
MARTIN AHERNE,
Loughrea,
Co Galway.
Sir, – On reading your article "No quick fix to the housing and rental crisis" (March 17th) it never ceases to amaze me that the cost of building is never mentioned.
Firstly the builder can, typically, only borrow 60 per cent of the building cost, with the balance coming from investors at rates of between 14 and 16 per cent.
The local authorities require a €8,500 country-wide levy, €315,000 per hectare Luas levy and in some areas of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown a further €46,000 per unit for roads. This is front-loaded and must be paid before commencement of building.
On completion of the house or apartment VAT is added at 13.5 per cent.
It is also important to add that the special levy of €46,000 is for a road not built but costed in boom times at €6 million per acre.
Perhaps if the taxes and levies were looked at in the same way as in the tourist industry, the urgent housing shortage might take off like the tourist industry.
– Your, etc,
MARY BERRY
Carrickmines,
Dublin.