Association Of Combined Residents Associations (ACRA) predicts mass opposition to any attempts to impose a Tax on Water

international | miscellaneous | press release Thursday April 19, 2012 15:38 by Malachy Steenson - ACRA

We will not be paying any tax on the family home

The Association of Combined Residents Associations (ACRA) predicts mass opposition to any attempts to impose a tax on water.

PRESS RELEASE – IMMEDIATE – NO EMBARGO

ASSOCIATION OF COMBINED RESIDENTS ASSOCIATIONS (ACRA)

We will not be paying any tax on the family home

The Association of Combined Residents Associations (ACRA) predicts mass opposition to any attempts to impose a tax on water.

Householders simply cannot take another burden, following household and a likely property tax. ACRA along with the CAHWT pledges to organise a mass grassroots campaign on this issue in every estate, town and village in the Country.

Speaking today to members Malachy Steenson General Secretary of ACRA.said

"Water is already paid for from central taxation. It was never 'free', so talk of a free allocation is nonsense. Our members up and down the Country are already pinned to the collar trying to survive, recent surveys have shown that one in five Children are going to bed or school hungry whilst the Credit Union Survey has shown the 1.6 million people only have a disposable income of €25 at the end of each week, while 500,000 have no disposable income".

He added that "The only purpose in setting up Irish Water is to pave the way for the eventual privatization of the water supply - a bonanza to be handed over to a private operators and to the speculators and gamblers who have already destroyed this country, to profiteer from a vital resource”.

"This is yet another natural resource that would be handed to the private sector, charging residents at will, as we have seen with waste collection companies."

"The prediction by John Fitzgerald of the ESRI last year that domestic charges would quickly amount to €1,200 is now rapidly becoming evident. These proposals for water metering and charges on top of a home tax will be met with massive resistance”.

Finally he said “We successfully made the household tax one of the biggest campaigns in recent decades. Water charges will be even more forcefully opposed."

Ends