Campaigners: Govt underestimated public anger

The Government miscalculated the level of public anger at austerity, according to campaigners against the household charge.

As many as one and a half million householders are believed to be yet to pay the €100 charge, though the Local Government Management Agency expects a surge in payments before the March 31 deadline.

Trade unionists supporting a boycott will hold a press conference in Dublin this morning.

Socialist Party councillor for Mulhuddart and Dublin West Ruth Coppinger said a mass boycott would make this charge unworkable.

"What the Government miscalculated is the level of anger that is out there in the wider society," she said.

"They believed that they were in a honeymoon period and that people would simple cough this up, under threat and under intimidation.

"A million people engaging in a boycott could make any threats of fines or deductions simply unworkable."

Socialist TD for Dublin West Joe Higgins meanwhile insisted that those who genuinely oppose the charge will stand firm in refusing to pay it.

"Putting this down to everybody waiting (until) the last minute… really shows that they are hugely disconnected from the real world of ordinary people," he said.

"In the last nine weeks we estimate that about 20,000 people have attended public meetings and rallies in opposition to this new tax."

Meanwhile Fine Gael have said there will be no extension to the March 31 deadline to pay the charge.

Laois-Offaly TD Marcella Corcoran-Kennedy says the money is needed to fund local services.

"This is just a flat charge for this year," she said.

"There is an inter-departmental group examining the best way to proceed with a more equitable tax... (and) there are opportunities for the general public to actually make submissions on this up to the end of this week".

"So I'd love to hear what Deputy Higgins and the United Left Alliance would propose in how we are going to finance our local government and our local services," she added.