We have always paid for water. Next they’ll bill us for the air we breathe

My grandparents and parents lived in this country all of their lives, and their homes were supplied with fresh water, as I have been for the last 40 years.

With our high rainfall and plentiful inland fresh water, water is not rare here, as it is in many other countries. Piping, reservoirs and cleansing plants were run by local authorities, and paid for with subventions from central government and/or local taxes.

Either way, those subventions came from our taxes, so we have always paid for our water. The same was true of ‘free’ education, the Gardai and the army.

All of these services have always been factored into our income-tax rates and VAT, in addition to the myriad of other taxes we must pay.

That is why Irish Water is a scam to double-tax us. Your local council will continue to supply the water and this new quango, Irish Water, will simply meter it and send you a bill. Irish Water will not maintain the piping, reservoirs or cleansing plants, so they will not, finally, be responsible if these should fail.

We have only been conned into thinking that they will. Instead, this new tax will pay for the CEO, directors, and managers.

If we don’t stand up to this bullying, now, from our public servants, soon they will make a case for ‘Irish Air,’ and bill us for what we breathe, based on our average daily intake. After all, the user pays.

John Mallon

Shamrock Grove

Mayfield

Cork