Opponents of property tax launch campaign

A NATIONWIDE campaign against household and water charges was launched yesterday amid confusion over methods for paying the new property tax.

It also emerged the sale of homes liable for the tax will not be allowed go ahead in the event of non-payment.

Some councils have imposed a €10 charge to cover the cost of accepting cash payments in area offices. Others will only take payment at main offices.

However, the legislation, the Local Government (Household Charge) Act 2011, states it is a function of each local authority “to collect household charges, late payment fees and late payment interest due to it under this Act and to deal with matters associated with such collection”.

A spokesman for Cork County Council said it would not charge anyone to make cash payments but this could only be done at its head office in Cork city, while local offices and libraries would assist by printing the relevant forms required to register homes.

Both the €€100 charge and any accumulated late payment fee will be a charge against the property concerned and will continue to be such for 12 years after the charge or penalties concerned became due.

Meanwhile, the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes was launched yesterday at Buswell’s Hotel in Dublin. It also unveiled a lo-call phone hotline [phone]) to help in building a mass non-registration movement.

Ruth Coppinger, Socialist Party member of Fingal County Council, said they were planning meetings later this month and next month around the country.

“We intend to hold a meeting in every county and in every town in January and February.

“We believe people have to take a stand at this inequitable tax and if sufficient numbers refuse to register their homes it will make the whole thing inoperable and force the Government to scrap it.”

Ms Coppinger also attacked what she described as Government scare tactics that gave the impression that the charge could be automatically deducted from salaries or welfare payments.

“The fact is that there is no mechanism currently that would allow attachment of earnings in the event of refusal to pay this draconian charge,” she said. “In order for a fine to be enforced, you would have to be summonsed to court and it would be up to the judge.”

One of the many thousands of people confused by the method of payments is Richard Prendergast, an 87-year-old pensioner from Rathcormac, Co Cork.

He tried to pay the charge in cash at his local council office in Fermoy, which he had been advised by documents forwarded by the Citizens Advice Bureau he could do.

“I visited the local council office to make the payment only to be told that they were not collecting the household tax and I was given a bundle of forms to fill in and post it along with the remittance to a Dublin office,” he said “I have a habit of paying my bills promptly and I wanted to get shut of the household charge, but they made a hash of it completely.”

Tax penalty

* People who fail to register their homes by the March deadline face fines of up to €2,500.

* A further amount of €2,500 may be imposed for the supply of false or misleading information.

* Anyone found guilty of forging documents in relation to the household charge faces up to two years in jail and a fine of €25,000.

* A sliding scale of late payment fees includes: 10% of any amount outstanding for less than six months; 20% over six months; 30% after 12 months, plus interest calculated at 12% a year.