Families fighting household charges

Tessa Fleming

The cost of living for average families is set to rise even further with the introduction of household charges, according to new figures released by the CSO.

The cost of living for the average family has gone up, according to the CSO, and is set to rise yet again with the household and water tax which could see families having to pay out €810 a week for the running of their household.

South West Inner City Representative Tina MacVeigh spoke out against the new taxes saying, “People just generally don’t have the money.”

Campaign against Household and Water Taxes (CAHWT) organised a protest outside the council meeting in City Hall on October 1st.

Local protestors were angry at the €1 billion pay out to unsecured senior bond holders in AIB.

One protester said, “We have no liability over that [pay out] but the Irish government have chosen to pay it on our behalf.

” At the same time they’re introducing a household tax making the ordinary people
pay.”

Róisín Ryder from Rialto said, “It’s like paying someone’s gambling debts.”

Along with the increased prices of food, utility bills, rent and mortgage repayments, the household and water tax is putting more pressure on families.

Tomás Mc Carthy from Dublin said he has had enough of the “constant bullying of the Government.

“We’re just ordinary people that have just had enough.  Everything good in our society is getting destroyed.”

When asked if the taxes and cuts being made would be appropriate at a more elite level, spokesperson for the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan said that was a matter for the Department of Finance to decide.

Hogan has being heavily criticised for the strict implementation of the household tax.

A protester last Monday said, “The cuts should be made to the unsecured bondholders.  We should cut the bond holders off.  They made a bet and they lost.”

Image Top: William Murphy via Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/infomatique/6109792001/