Hi George,
I can confirm that the rate for residents and non residents which has been deemed to be discriminatory is changing to 18% for all gains regardless of residence. The exact date of this change I am not sure of but below is something else I found:
"Residents and Non Residents
A gain is calculated by deducting the acquisition cost from the disposal value.
For property (real property) the acquisition cost may be adjusted by application of a co-efficient from statutory tables. This adjusts the cost for inflation purposes and reduces the amount of tax payable. Any qualifying improvements to the property may also be taken into account.
Where the period of ownership is less than one year the “gain” is added to income and taxed accordingly (this is not an attractive option)
Where the period of ownership is over one year the gain is taxed at a flat rate of 18%.
For property, there is up to 100% hold-over relief on your main residence providing the gain is re-invested in the new main residence within two years of the sale. If only a proportion of the gain is re-invested, then only a proportion is taxable.
If aged over 65 years and have lived in your main residence for more than three years and are tax-resident, the gain is tax-free and there is no need to buy a new property to claim roll-over."
John