Anti-water charge group encouraged by payment level
David Gibney of the Right2Water campaign said the fact that Irish Water has recouped less than half of the payments it has charged in its first billing cycle shows that “the Government has lost the debate and is not ruling by consent”.
He said it was a very positive development for the Right2Water group and anybody who wanted to see Irish Water abolished.
Mr Gibney urged the Government to scrap the utility and instead pay for the provision of water through “progressive tax measures”.
“We’re calling on the Government to stop wasting money now on expensive advertising campaigns, consultants, and the instal- lation of water meters and instead put in place a progressive tax system,” he said.
Mr Gibney further dismissed suggestions by both Irish Water and government ministers that the 46% payment rate was a “solid start”, and claimed the Govern- ment had spent the past 12 months “intimidating” the public into paying the charges.
“Despite threats and intimidation from the Government, it has still failed,” he said.
He said the Right2Water campaign expect their protest on August 29 to be their biggest to date.
“Thousands of people have been angered by suggestions that water charges could be taken from their wages and social welfare charges, and the pressure being put upon landlords and tenants,” Mr Gibney said.
The Anti-Austerity Alliance described the figures as a “crisis” for the Government.
“The Government have tried to introduce legislation to scare and frighten people to break the boycott campaign because they know that the boycott is the weapon which is going to sink Irish Water,” said Ruth Coppinger TD.
“Anti-water charge campaigners need to use this to boost and reorganise our local campaigns to maintain the boycott in our areas. We need to make sure that the boycott is maintained. We need to try to convince those who have paid to not pay the second bill,” she said.
“Why would they pay the second bill when they see the mass boycott and that the government is helpless to do anything against it?
“We need to make sure that people know that there are no penalties until after the general election, that there are no deductions at source like the property tax, that they can’t bring us all to court.”
The Right2Water campaign will hold a mass demonstration in Dublin on August 29 at 2pm.
