CORK East Labour TD Seán Sherlock has slammed the government for its failure to adequately promote the new property tax scheme which he said will leave thousands of property owners facing hefty fines

"The €200 tax now payable on second or subsequent properties must be paid by September 30th However, there will be no notification in writing to the property owner of their liability for this tax. Therefore, I believe the deadline for payment will pass without many people being aware of their liability," said Deputy Sherlock.

The Labour TD said even more worrying is the fact that a €20 monthly fine will be applied to the €200 sum until the tax is paid.

"There are many older people with unoccupied old family homes who I fear will find themselves in this situation because they simply have no clue as to how they go about registering their property with the department,"

"People are very much in the dark about this scheme and Minister Gormley has failed miserably in making people aware of what's involved. People already have a lot on their plate without adding more confusion. I would advise anyone who is worried about this situation and unaware of what they have to do to get in contact with their local County Council," he said