Reintroduction of Mortgage Interest Relief Faces Strong Opposition Within Irish Government

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has suggested the reintroduction of mortgage interest relief in this year’s budget, in a move that is likely to face significant opposition within the government. Officials in the Department of Finance are expected to resist the measure, as are Finance Minister Michael McGrath and Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe. Nonetheless, there is political pressure to ease pressure on mortgage holders, with homeowners seeing repayments rise steeply following the European Central Bank’s seventh interest rate increase. If reintroduced, mortgage interest relief would mean a smaller package of tax reductions.