Fianna Fáil: Water tax double Coalition’s estimate

Water charges for families may cost double the average amount claimed by the Government and could leave households with an annual bill of almost €500 for basic consumption, according to Fianna Fáil.

The opposition party launched a website yesterday outlining what it says will be the costs for different family types after free allowances are used up in homes.

Environment spokesman Barry Cowen called on the Coalition to reveal the true cost of the new charge — set to come into force in October — before polling day on Friday.

The Coalition say the average water charge for a household of two adults or more or 2.7 people will be €240.

Irishwatercharges.com has models of several different family types and calculates what they may owe.

Mr Cowen said: “Fine Gael and Labour have not been honest with householders. It’s very clear, based on the CSO figures on water usage, that any household with more than two adults will pay far in excess of the Government’s declared annual charge.”

Fianna Fáil warned that apartment blocks would not be metered so costs would be averaged according to the number people living in each unit.

People would also be asked to pay water charges before pipes are replaced or before the quality and supply of water is improved.

A number of Fine Gael election candidates have publicly admitted that homes cannot be expected to pay estimated charges, with just one in four homes expected to be metered at the end of this year.

Fianna Fáil last night calculated that a one-parent family would pay €250 a year, while a four-adult household would face €491 in charges and a family of five €436.

Phil Hogan, the environment minister, responded by claiming that Fianna Fáil called for a flat €400 water charge when in power.

His spokesman disagreed that €180m had been spent on outside consultant fees, as had been claimed.

He also said that the average usage per person in Ireland was estimated at 145 litres per day, not 150 litres as stated on the website.

Mr Hogan’s department added that it was untrue to say that no apartments would be metered, and that 48,000 units would be.

Fine Gael TD for Laois/Offaly, Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, questioned the veracity of Fianna Fáil’s claims.

“The party’s water-focused website launched today is an inaccurate election stunt masquerading as a consumer website,” she said.

“The information contained on the website is littered with inaccuracies and half-truths, and is undermined by the party’s glaring hypocrisy on the issue of water charges.

“For example, the calculations on Fianna Fáil’s website assume that the water consumption of a child is the same as the water consumption of an adult. This inflates and distorts their figures for water charges for average families.”