The Social Democrats are calling on the Government to increase the vacant home tax to 10%.
The party has described the current rate of 0.3% as "a pantomime of action" that will do little to actually incentivise property owners to bring their vacant homes back into use.
GeoDirectory figures estimate about 83,000 properties are lying vacant, while over 21,000 are derelict.
The Social Democrat's Housing Spokesperson, Cian O'Callaghan, proposed the motion in the Dail earlier:
"If you understood the stress and the trauma being faced by families across the country, I think you would move heaven and earth to do everything you can to get more homes available and more housing available.
"And the key to that is getting our existing stock back into use.
"This is an open goal for the government. There is no excuse not to take it."
