The government is on the run and is desperately trying to get us to buy into water charges. They have cut the charges to take off the heat but as soon as the protest movement dies down, they can be increased again.
We should keep up the pressure until water charges are scrapped.
The government’s new charges only last until the start of 2018 –just over three years. After that they will have to increase.
Just look at the figures. The total revenue that will be raised is just € 90 million a year. But the water metering is continuing and that – according to the Institute of Engineers Ireland – will cost €1billion.
So why are they continuing the metering programme, if the charges will permanently remain at €60 for as single person and €160 for a family? The answer is that they won’t.
This is just like an introductory offer to get you hooked. The government is now just trying to get a foot in the door –and then jack up the prices later.
There are three ways in which water charges could rise
- A future government can simply jack up the price after 2019.
- The ‘conservation grant’ from the Dept of Social Protection can be withdrawn at any time – pushing up charges by €100.
- The EU can rule that Irish Water does not comply with market rules – and the government will say they have ‘no choice’ but to raise charges.
Their shift of position only helps to expose their lies. They told us that water charges were all about ‘conservation’ and that is why we had to pay according to use. But there is now flat rate charges- so it makes no difference how much water you use. It shows that water charges were, in reality, always just another tax –on top of property charges, USC, carbon taxes and PAYE hikes.
Their latest lie is to claim that payment for water must be put ‘off balance’ to comply with EU deficit targets. In other words, they want to remove public money from the water service and raise the revenue from charges and further borrowing from bondholders.
But this is just fake accounting. France and Italy do not comply with EU deficit targets- so why is Ireland going to such trouble to reach artificial targets.
We should simply continue to use the € 1billion of our central taxes to pay for the water service – as we have done for decades. The troika have left – so there is no need to accede to their demand that Irish Water must be ‘self-funded’. Water should continue to be funded from central taxation and any extra investment should be raised from taxes on the wealthy.
For Confirmation: Phone Brid Smith on 087 9099166
People Before Profit