Local property taxes and other rates would be cut in certain parts of rural Ireland under plans to encourage people to live in smaller towns and villages across the country.
A range of reliefs, including potential cuts to property tax and commercial rates as well new grants, are being considered under Town Centres First.
It is a plan to make greater use of derelict lands and buildings in towns and villages across the country.
Minister of State for Local Government and Planning Peter Burke, who is developing the policy, said tax incentives to regenerate rural areas were “the big unspoken elephant in the room”.