Water charge ‘farce’ to cost State millions

Water charge-dodgers are being given effective tax rebates of €100 each despite refusing to pay the levy in a “financial farce” that could cost the State tens of millions of euro, opposition TDs have warned.

With anti-charge campaigners insisting that the failure of 57% of customers to fork-out for water supplies will end in the inevitable demise of the utility next year, the Government was thrown onto the back-foot by the mass boycott.

Ministers admitted that the 425,000 households who had registered for the charge, but so far failed to pay it, would still automatically receive the €100 “water conservation grant” if they applied for it, but claimed they were “very happy” with less than half of homes paying their bills at this stage.