Dé Máirt, Meitheamh 28, 2011


Call For Rejection of Water Tax Welcomed

28/06/2011

éirígí Tir Chonaill spokesperson Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig has welcomed the decision by Donegal County Council decision to support a motion calling for a rejection of the Fine Gael/Labour coalition's proposed water tax.

"Contrary to the spin from the government, the proposed water tax has nothing to do with environmental concerns or water conservation." Mr Mac Giolla Easbuig said. "The EU/IMF programme seeks to extort additional money from already hard pressed households through the imposition of a tax on our domestic water supply. It amounts to a corporate shakedown to pay off the gambling debts of bankers and developers.

"Rather than spending millions of euro on the installation of water meters and charging householders for their supply of water, the state needs to provide significant investment to fix the creaking water infrastructure and so prevent the loss of over half the treated water through leaking pipes.

The éirígí spokesperson went on to say "Experience elsewhere has shown that the introduction of utility charges is the first step towards the privatisation of the service. Domestic water supply is now a big global business. Water utility companies in England and Wales, which were privatised by the Thatcher government in Britain in the early 1990s, are now owned by big corporate investment banks and pension funds. Households there pay on average over €400 for their domestic water supply.

"While the passage of this motion is an important development, it is crucial that a mass campaign of opposition to this unjust tax is now built. Households cannot afford to pay and should not pay a tax that is being introduced to pay off private banking debt. As part of the No Water Tax campaign, éirígí is committed to working with local communities and other parties of the left in building a campaign of opposition and non-payment to defeat this tax and ensure the domestic water supply remains in public hands".

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