Opinion and Discussion: Household Charge.

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As a returner from the UK this charge is just a EU policy because they pay this in their countries and provide services from it.

Ireland provides no services, no fire as europe, no waste, household or free tips, no street maintenance in the rural areas, no leisure centres, free books etc at schools, free kids activities, violin lessons, swimming etc.

We are just pandering down to the EU rules and should stand up to them.

Why should what they do mean that we should do it as well?

This will lead to a 2000e a year charge and the slip up was made in a speech last sept? when they said they don't want 12 times what was being charge, i.e. not 100 million but 1.2billion?

If they provide services that the UK provide I would gladly pay the charge, but we pay for what we need and don't see why we should pay a charge that gives no return.
 
Thought this might be of interest.

SIPTU calls on Govt to suspend 'unfair' Household Charge
Friday, February 17, 2012 - 11:19 AM

The National Executive Council of SIPTU has called on the Government to suspend the proposed Household Charge on the basis that it is "unfair and regressive".

Figures released earlier this week showed that less then 6% of all homeowners, liable for the charge, had actually registered to pay.

The deadline to sign up and pay the €100 tax is March 31, 2012.

SIPTU argues that, as currently formulated, the proposed Household Charge is playing into the hands of those wealthy interests that have successfully resisted the introduction of a fair property tax in the past.

The group said it supports the introduction of a property tax which is proportionate and which recognises that wealthy households can afford to pay more than those with modest earnings.
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€100 is a lot to me and a lot to many people who are struggling. This money will not be used to fund local services or make our streets safer. People are right to stand up and be counted
 
I'm not objecting to the ‘house hold’ charge as I can see the possibility of this payment becoming an instrument in getting us all involved in ‘our council’ for the betterment of our community.

Other countries have such a charge but it differs from here in that their citizens are adequately informed on a macro level on an annual basis as to how the money they are paying is actually being spent.

May I make a suggestion that each household receives a letter from our local authority each year showing how much was collected, how it was spent and how the community we live in has benefitted from such a charge?

I don't want to see my hard earned money funding trips for Councillors to St Patrick's day parades. Funding ill conceived 'pooper scoopers' (http://www.wicklowpeople.ie/news/30000-pooper-scooper-lying-idle-2999820.html) employing people who breast feed shovels and who occasionally throw shovel loads of tarmac into potholes on our roads. Without proper accountability these wasteful practices will continue.

Other countries have such a charge but it differs from here in that their citizens are adequately informed on an annual basis as to how the money they are paying is actually being spent.

Through payment of this charge, the community has a great opportunity to get involved in demanding improvements in local council inefficiencies as we now have a direct interest. We can drive to improve efficiencies and obtain better value and a better quality of living for us all.

I appreciate the underlying reasons for the rushed through nature of this charge but I do worry that if payment is made with the present lack of accountability this will demonstrate an acceptance on our part of the way things are to be in the future and that’s not what happens in other countries.

 
It's the Irish way though, been happening for years, it seeps into all irish public services, can't see it changing unless no-one pays maybe.
We are not france, germany or UK so why follow their systems when they don't work in the Irish system.
 
Looks like there is now a strong possibility that this new charge will fail. After a rush to register and pay at the beginning of January registrations have slowed to a trickle with only approx 5% now registered.
Although there will inevitably be a big rush towards the end of March there is now a good chance that hundreds of thousands will refuse to pay.

A few missteps from the govt has not helped.

Rabbittes announcement that those that register will also have to pay a broadcast charge.
Admittance that money will be used to pay bank debts through a €170 million reduction in local authority allocation.
70% rightdown in Greek sovereign debt as Kenny claims Irish are happy to pay unsecured bank bondholders in full.
Announcement that there will be a firesale of state assets to pay bank debts.

I know I risk censure by opposing the AAM view but Don't Register, Don't pay.

We are not Greece. The Irish don't demonstrate on the streets and usually do as they are told. But maybe enough are angry and frustrated at the way we have bailed out the speculators and the bankers to finally make some small protest by opposing this charge even if it is only another straw on the backs of the struggling classes.
 
truthseeker said:
[broken link removed] 2 days ago - just under 7% of people.
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Not really. Approx 1.6 million liable to pay but a few hundred thousand more required to register. (ghost estates, mortgage supplement etc) Many of those who have registered have exemptions. The (less than) 110,000 figure is for those that have registered. The 1.6 million is for those that have to pay so 5% is more accurate. They are only estimates anyway so would not get hung up over a few percent either way at this stage in the game.
 
I have paid.

How poeple can think that we will be better off as a country by not paying this absolutely baffles me.

I do feel for those that genuinely cannot pay and believe that there will be some form of waiver brought in; but for those who can afford it then pay up and don't leave it to others to better your lot.
 
monore said:
Not really. Approx 1.6 million liable to pay but a few hundred thousand more required to register. (ghost estates, mortgage supplement etc) Many of those who have registered have exemptions. The (less than) 110,000 figure is for those that have registered. The 1.6 million is for those that have to pay so 5% is more accurate. They are only estimates anyway so would not get hung up over a few percent either way at this stage in the game.
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Ah I didnt realise you still had to register if exempt (makes sense, just never thought about it).

I wasnt getting hung up btw - just providing the most recent news article so people have an idea of where its at.
 
monore said:
Not really. Approx 1.6 million liable to pay but a few hundred thousand more required to register. (ghost estates, mortgage supplement etc) Many of those who have registered have exemptions. The (less than) 110,000 figure is for those that have registered. The 1.6 million is for those that have to pay so 5% is more accurate. They are only estimates anyway so would not get hung up over a few percent either way at this stage in the game.
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If enough people don't pay it, it will become unenforceable like the Poll tax in the UK. So many people did not pay that it resulted in the courts/councils being unable to function. The police stopped enforcing warrants. The whole thing collapsed. Same will happen in Ireland.
 
Time said:
If enough people don't pay it, it will become unenforceable like the Poll tax in the UK. So many people did not pay that it resulted in the courts/councils being unable to function. The police stopped enforcing warrants. The whole thing collapsed. Same will happen in Ireland.
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Exactly. And strong possibility that will now happen. Refusal to register based on a few assumptions

1. This charge nothing really to do with local govt funding. It is collected by central govt.

2 Refusal to register a legitimate and effective way of protesting

3 Those liable for this charge are in the main those that have already borne the brunt of extra austerity taxes to date.

4 This charge was introduced as a direct result of an order from the Troika
 
callybags said:
I have paid.

How poeple can think that we will be better off as a country by not paying this absolutely baffles me.
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I live on my own in a house worth 100k and they want me to pay 100 euro after i paid 15k in stamp duty a few years ago.

A family of 6 in a 2 million euro house has to pay 100 euro.

TBH, the unbelievable inequality absolutely baffles me.
 
The fact that you paid 15K stamp duty is completely irrelevant. I'm sure you also paid income tax, VAT, Excise Duty etc.

Also, if the 6 person family had to pay 5k would it make you feel better? Because taxes are not supposed to make poeple feel better.
 
I dont want to pay for two reasons.

One is that I already pay ~1k a year for services such as grass cutting, road and pavement maintenance, bins, lighting, etc. My estate is privately managed and will never be taken in hand by the local authority.

I also do not want to pay because I have no option but to be a property owner. I have massive negative equity so cannot sell the property, so I feel like the government have me pinned squirming with a needle on a dissection table - as a property owner I am liable, but I cant not be a property owner.

I am waiting to see what will happen, I personally hope that so many people dont pay that it becomes impossible to enforce.
 
I've just registered (won't pay until nearer deadline tho) and it gave me an account reference with the word This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language in it - hope that isn't a sign! :D
 
Interesting times are ahead for us all. I can't see the other 95% coughing up within 5 weeks.
The government take all of us for mugs, lets see after march 31st...
 
There will be a last minute rush as always but I doubt more than 7% will have paid by then.
 
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