August 16th, 2012

Dublin South West Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe has slammed the latest tactics of the Government who are threatening legal action against people who have refused to pay Household Charge.

Crowe described the court threats as “predictable and a floundering act of desperation.” He said that the attempts to impose an unfair revenue-raising tax just isn’t working and called on Minister Hogan to abandon his indiscriminate household  tax policy.

Deputy Crowe said:

“The threat of legal action against hundreds of thousands of people for non-payment of the Household Charge shows the unfairness of what is an indiscriminate and inequitable tax.

“It is the latest attempt by the Local Government Management Agency, at the behest of Minister Phil Hogan, to frighten people into paying by sending more warning letters, threatening the prospect of a court appearance and legal action.

“The Government’s determination to try persecute ordinary people for taking a principled stand against this tax is in contrast to their abject failure to pursue those within the banking sector and big business who played a big part in bringing this State to its financial knees.

“This unjust charge has been a complete failure in terms of revenue raising yet the Fine Gael/Labour Government has made Local Government dependent upon it, fully realising that major cuts in services will result should it not be paid.

“The latest court threats are predictable, and will be seen by many as a floundering act of desperation to impose this tax.

“This latest attempt by the Minister Hogan and his Government colleagues to impose an unfair revenue-raising tax just isn’t working with well over half of households still refusing to pay this tax.

“Despite the letters and threats of court, many people are even more  determined not to pay.

“The Minister should wake up to his nightmarish reality and abandon his indiscriminate household tax policy.

“The Household Charge should be abolished once and for all and a fairer inclusive taxation strategy put in its place, ensuring that those on higher incomes pay their proper share and seeing that the wealth generated or lying dormant in Irish society  is actually taxed.” ENDS