Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)

I will carry on where I left off. I believe the household charge should be means tested at the very least. For instance, people with mortgage debt, senior citizens and disabled people should be completely exempt from this charge, but the categories proposed for exemptions do not include any of these. The proposal that the District Court be the final adjudicator in an exemption appeal is totally unacceptable. I do not think a court of law is the place for something like this to be judged. Particularly for many of our more senior citizens, who take pride in the fact that they have lived through their long years of life without ever having to go up the steps of a courthouse and appear before a judge, it would be a huge blow to have to go through this exercise to appeal the imposition of the charge.

This is another budget on top of the austerity measures that have had a severe effect on the old, the sick and low to middle-income families in particular. These people are already facing a plethora of hidden charges and taxes, and it is only now, over the past couple of days, as the budget has undergone cost analysis by several people, that the full impact is emerging. This charge will also result in a further delay to our economic recovery, as there will be less disposable income, which will lead to unemployment and have a detrimental effect on our small businesses.

The system under which the local authority is the administrator and collector of the charge is basically another means of obtaining maximum moneys for the Exchequer. It would be only right and proper if all of the moneys were made available to local authorities to deliver services to the public who will be paying into this scheme.

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