Sinn Féin calls for €100 charge to be scrapped

Sinn Féin has called on the Government to abandon the household tax in light of the mass boycott against it, and reimburse those who paid.

With only 58% of eligible households having paid the highly contentious €100 flat tax, Sinn Féin is using Dáil time to demand its repeal.

Sinn Féin environment spokesman Brian Stanley claims the €160m shortfall for local services that would be left by abolishing the charge could be made up for with other measures, such as a ceiling on public sector wages at €100,000 and higher income tax on those earning over €100,000.

The bid to repeal the tax is backed by trade unions, Unite and Mandate, and single parents group, Spark.

Spark’s Louise Baylis called on Labour TDs to “look into their hearts” and vote against the Government.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny insisted that the household tax was forced on the Government by the troika deal made by the previous Fianna Fáil-led administration.

Mr Kenny attacked opposition TDs who supported the household tax boycott, telling United Left Alliance TD Richard Boyd Barrett that he “should be ashamed of himself”.

Mr Boyd Barrett replied by comparing his law-breaking actions to those of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.