What about a campaign to encourage people to pay the Household Charge?

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As an end result, could this bring down the Government? If so job done
 
Folks

Yet another reminder.

Please debate the fairness of the charge itself in any one of the other threads. This is about whether or not there should be a campaign in support.

Off topic posts and replies to them will be deleted from this thread.

Brendan
 
Kerry county manager Tom Curran spoke on radio Kerry last week encouraging citizens of the Kingdom to pay the charge.

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Surely the fairness of the charge should be a factor in whether there should be a campaign to support!
 
All emails from Kerry County Council and many other Local authorities have been tagged with the following message.

Household Charge - Funding Local Services - Avoid interest and penalties by registering and paying for your household charge before 31st March on www.householdcharge.ie
Táille Tí - Ag Maoiniú Seirbhísí Áitiúla - Cláraigh agus íoc an táille tí roimh an 31ú Márta ag www.householdcharge.ie agus seachnóidh tú pionóis agus ús.
 
Brendan Burgess said:
I, too.

Brendan
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I just wanted to say well done on your tv appearance the other night Brendan you were absolutely in the right in urging people to pay the charge. If we had had something like it when we should have had it , i.e. pre-bubble it would have made a big difference. Of course at the moment due to its simplicity its unfair but I'm assuming in time they'll sort that out..

Q
 
Thanks queenie

It was a very odd show. One of the participants told the researcher in advance that she had paid the charge, but when asked live "Have you paid the charge?" she said she hadn't and was emphatic that she wouldn't. I can only imagine that she wanted the crowd approval which people got for saying that they were not paying.

Brendan
 
I thought it was very strange as well. They should have had a panel of 4 or 5 people both for and against. Instead we had what’s his name from FG looking completely out of his depth (and like he might burst out crying any minute) and Luke Flanagan who ran rings around him.
Tubridy is useless at that sort of flowing current affairs item even if he wants to do it but he looked seriously uncomfortable on Friday night and seemed to rush through the whole thing.

There was no attempt at balance and no attempt by Tubridy to balance out the discussion with his own input (like good presenters should). He didn’t ask any hard questions and just let Flanagan make the same off-topic populist points over and over again. The one that got to me was along the line of “we should cut out the waste in local authorities before we introduce a household charge”. What does he thing local authorities are going to use for money in the months and years during which those reforms are implemented?
 
Purple said:
What does he think local authorities are going to use for money in the months and years during which those reforms are implemented?
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Not his problem. I thought he meant well at first, but the more I hear him, the more cynical his attitude becomes. H e makes no attempt to understand any real world implications of his populist stands and as such is open to being accused of self serving populism (looking after his own job).
 
There was no attempt at balance and no attempt by Tubridy to balance out the discussion with his own input
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Hi Purple

They did actually attempt balance. They tried to get people to say that they had paid. I tried to get people as well, but people were either not available or just didn't want to say so in public.

One member of the audience told the researcher she had paid, and then told Tubridy that she had not paid.

Another member told the researcher in advance that she had paid and would speak about it ,but got a sore throat on the day. She was in the audience but didn't speak.

Tubridy did put it to Ming that he was breaking the law. Presenters are more used to being tougher on government ministers. It was a tough gig for Tubridy as the show jumps around so many different issues and doesn't really deal with current affairs.
 
i personaly wouldnt agree with a campaign to encourage payment....

1. its so rushed and for someone in government not to come up with more easy ways to pay it, is a farce and laughable...i mean as of today i dont think you can even pay in the post office,,which would be the choice of many especially the elderly,,,

2.its so unfair,,100euro for everyone across the board,,,again laughable....i only returned to work after been unemployed for 2 year,,i had to leave my home in the country and return to dublin for that employment,still paying the mortgage in a house i dont live in,scraping 20grand a year..thats 0.5% of my gross

if the high earners and the very high earners paid 0.5% of their gross, would this not be so much fairer!!

i havent paid it as of today,nor will i pay it as of tomorrow,but i for one would pay it if the system was fair,very fair for everybody
 
timmy said:
if the high earners and the very high earners paid 0.5% of their gross, would this not be so much fairer!!
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The €100 is a flat rate household charge. As a fixed charge it's indubitably a regressive charge/tax. But it's simply a stopgap precursor to a property tax which will presumably be based on the property value. You are talking about income tax. Different issue altogether.
 
my main point is why should i pay 100euro...and someone on 100grand plus only pay 100euro...not fair no matter how you look at it or digest it...that is why this household charge should not have been introduced at all..ie rushed into it.

if they want to introduce a household charge just make it fair....
 
There are many different inequities with all sorts of taxes. That in itself is not a convincing argument to evade them in my view.
 
I've got a gut feeling that the percentage of people paying will creep over 50% by the deadline or a short time afterwards. Irish people always leave paying this sort of thing to the last moment.

Once it creeps over 50% - even if by only a small margin - then any arguments that the majority of people think this tax shouldnt be paid falls away. Leaves the vocal minority in a very difficult position.
 
timmyosts: 20:
Its a PROPERTY tax ,NOT a tax on income!
 
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It's a Tax and as it takes no allowance of ability to pay it is regressive and should not have been introduced.
And its a tax out of the Nett Income after Tax, PRSI, Levies and UCS
 
Many of us in older residential estates never see council services yet we are expected to pay estate fees for cutting open spaces that this household charge is supposed to look after.

When I see the council doing service work in my estate, then I will consider paying it. Also I am discontinuing the estate fee as it clearly states on the household charge website that this charge covers "open spaces".

I wounder how many people are paying grass cutting fees in estates that the council have taken over and who are responsible for the upkeep of these areas, on top of the household charge.
 
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