MORE people in Co Donegal will resist paying the Household Charge next year when a new €400 bill arrives, campaigners said today.
Official figures show less than half of people in the county paid this year’s €100 bill, with Independent councillor John Campbell believing the boycott level is much higher because of the way the Government and county councils estimated the number of people eligible to pay.
Responding to reports that the government plans a property tax next year of around €400 for an average home, the Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes (CAHWT) said this would hit hardest “young families already reeling in the recession and lead to an upsurge in non-payment levels.”
Ruth Coppinger of the CAHWT said: “€400 is just the starter level. Everyone knows it will rise relentlessly each year, like refuse and other charges. Families suffering negative equity and exhorbitant child care costs will be tipped over the edge into poverty. The credit union surveys show 47% of households have €100 or less a month after bills, so this would be four months disposable income gone.
“People simply cannot afford this. A whole new layer will become involved in the boycott campaign, especially if combined with a flat-rate water tax the following year,” predicted Coppinger.
“There is nothing progressive about driving families into further debt, ” she said.
“This is a crude home tax hitting low and middle incomes and leaving the wealth and assets of the rich untouched. It will be met with huge resistance.”
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