A tweet from an Assistant Professor of social policy and an affordable housing advocate hit us a little bit different this April Fool’s Day.
April 1st has long been the sanctuary of big brands attempting to inject some humour into their social media strategies and hilarious mothers the country over.
Anyone who has ever engaged with social media on April Fool’s Day, will know to affect a jaded and dejected approach to the day when half-baked jokes fly and forced jollity are Photoshopped in.
However, Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Maynooth University Dr. Rory Hearne, hit us with an April Fool’s locked and loaded with some sad and undeniable truths about the housing crisis.
Outlining a series of Government announcements, that no doubt Hearne (the author of Housing Shock: The Irish Housing Crisis and How to Solve It) and others would dearly love to see implemented.
Great to hear the Government has announced:
A three year rent freeze
A three year eviction ban
Emergency powers to fast track construction of 20,000 affordable homes per year
Set up a state construction company
An annual 20% tax on vacant & derelict property
A 50% tax on REITs— Rory Hearne (@RoryHearneGaffs) April 1, 2022
“Great to hear the Government has announced,” Hearne tweeted on April 1st, continuing with a list of measures. “A three year rent freeze,” “A three year eviction ban,” “Emergency powers to fast track construction of 20,000 affordable homes per year,” “Set up a state construction company,” “An annual 20% tax on vacant & derelict property,” and “A 50% tax on REITs [real estate investment trusts]”.
The tweet was well-received by fellow Twitter users, with one writing “Amazing how an April fool would make so many people happy if it were true. We live in strange times.”
“Anger about need for change making me do it,” Hearne responded by saying that his objective in drafting the tweet was to hopefully “raise more awareness of what the Government should do!”.
Hearne wasn’t the only one to use April Fool’s Day to highlight some flaws in the governments’ approach to the housing crisis:
Breaking: Govt announce they are to borrow from the EIB and use the LDA & NAMA to launch a state run SPV/construction company that will undercut the REIT’s!
In other news: Anyone know what date it is?
— Tony – Pod Guy – Groves (@Trickstersworld) April 1, 2022
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