The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 20 Jan, 2018

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Finance

Period 1 Sep, 2017 to 31 Dec, 2017

Specific Details Finance Bill 2017

Intended results That the Finance Act 2017 must provide that stamp duty on land purchased / transferred and used for farming remains at 2% rate; qualifying criteria to avail of this would be the same applied by Revenue for definition of active farmer, as for Agriculture relief. With Consanguinity Relief for stamp duty at a rate of 1%, that the age limit on the transferor be removed for 12 months to expedite lifetime transfers; then an age limit of 40 years applied to transferee (vs age limit on transferor) to support more timely lifetime transfers. A Transitional Arrangement be put in place with stamp duty for those undertaking a land transaction pre-budget, whereby the rate remains at 2% for a period of 6 months to enable parties to complete transactions (as happened last time stamp duty was changed on commercial property in 2011). That a reduced stamp duty for the purpose of farm consolidation be introduced; qualifying criteria would be same as for Farm Restructuring Relief from Capital Gains Tax. The introduction of the abolition of stamp duty on long term leases (as mentioned in agri-tax review 2014 and now approved at EU level) be included in Finance Bill and take effect from 1st Jan 2018. To ensure Key Employee Engagement Programme (KEEP) is available to farming enterprise, flexibility should be provided: 1) all SME business structure be eligible for participation 2) share options should include tangible stock 3) family member employees should qualify That qualification for income averaging on farming profits should be extended where spouse and/or farmer has a fully separable source of self-employed income. Remove Sections 657 1a & b from Taxes Consolidation Act, Averaging of Farm Profits. Increase flexibility in income averaging 'step out', allowing a farmer to 'step ou't more than once in a 5 year period of averaging, where she/he is not carrying an unpaid deferred tax amount from a previous step-out.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Joe Healy IFA President and Martin Stapleton IFA Farm Business Chairman

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Letter (1)

Submission (1)

Meeting (2-5)

Informal communication (21-30)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Paschal Donohoe Minister (Department of Finance)

Stephen Lynam Special Adviser (Department of Finance)

Michael Creed Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Jonathan Hoare Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Michael W. D'Arcy Minister of State (Department of Finance)

Jackie Cahill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Marcella Corcoran Kennedy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pat Deering TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Charlie McConalogue TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Willie Penrose TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Thomas Pringle TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Tim Lombard Senator (Seanad)

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn Senator (Seanad)

Michelle Mulherin Senator (Seanad)

Peter Burke TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joan Burton TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

John Deasy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Pearse Doherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael McGrath TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Murphy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paddy Burke Senator (Seanad)

Rose Conway-Walsh Senator (Seanad)

Gerry Horkan Senator (Seanad)

Kieran O'Donnell Senator (Seanad)