Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien is seeking to introduce new rules to reduce bogus planning objections.
It follows revelations in a RTÉ Investigates programme, which uncovered cases of alleged "go-away money" being paid to serial objectors.
As part of amendments to the Planning and Development Bill, a number of measures will be introduced to clamp down on the activity.
"The provisions need to be strong, the penalties need to be punitive and we need to ensure that genuine people and organisations that want to make observations can do so, and we will", he said.
These new measures include a standalone offence to deal with extortionist objectors, a list of genuine environmental groups and people making planning observations would have to make a statutory declaration of identification.
An Bord Pleanála and local authorities would be assisted to identify patterns of vexatious appeals, and the office of the planning regulator would also be assisted to identify such cases.
The bill is currently making its way through the Oireachtas.
It will go through committee stage in the new year, which will allow both the Government and Opposition to table amendments.
It is expected the full piece of legislation will be passed by the summer recess next year.
Sinn Féin's housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin said that his party will look "favourably on any measure that clamps down on the abuse of the planning system".
However, he added: "Ultimately if we want to stop delays, we need to properly resource the An Bord Pleanála and our planning authorities and Minister O'Brien has more work to do on that issue."
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik, who had called for a standalone offence to deal with extortion, also welcomed the amendments.
"I first proposed this in the Dáíl when the RTÉ Investigates programme had been broadcast and indeed when I had been made aware of certain similar cases that were brought to my attention," she said.
