Donegal County Council is owed €4.77 million in unpaid charges by developers, it has been revealed.
The news comes following a question by Independent Councillor John Campbell.
Now the Can’t Pay Won’t Pay campaign is asking why developers have not been pursued as relentlessly as those who have not paid the Household Charge.
“While homeowners have been hounded for non-payment of €100 in Household Charge, the Council have failed to collect millions owed by wealthy developers.” said Can’t Pay Won’t Pay spokesperson Francis McCafferty.
“Where are the warning letters? The threats of court action and the prospect of huge fines? Once again it’s one law for the wealthy and another law for the rest of us.”
The group adds that the council’s Finance Director Garry Martin has constantly been in the media blaming cuts in council spending on hard-pressed homeowners who had not paid the household charge.
“All the time he has known that there was a huge shortfall caused by the Council’s failure to pursue the outstanding money from developers.”
“This supports what Can’t Pay Won’t Pay have argued all along – the cuts in council spending have been political decisions. They have nothing to do with the non-payment of the Household Charge. Even if Donegal County Council had achieved full compliance, there still would have been a €1 million cut in the mid-year Council budget, imposed by Minister Hogan’s department.”
“Homeowners will be enraged that once again they are footing the bill for the greed of developers and negligence of those in authority. It’s bad enough that they bring in a raft of new charges and taxes to make us pay for the bank and bondholder bailout, but now we are asked to make up for the black hole of development charges. It’s another reason to say ‘We Can’t Pay, We Won’t Pay.’”
Can’t Pay Won’t Pay are urging homeowners to continue withholding Household Charge payment and to boycott the new Property Tax.
They are planning a major rally against the expected announcement of Property Tax in the budget on Saturday 8th December in Letterkenny addressed by TDs Clare Daly and Thomas Pringle.
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