Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)

It appears from the Labour Party motion and the amendment thereto from the Green Party that the political parties which facilitated the introduction of the bin tax at local authority level are now having second thoughts and are crying crocodile tears for the disadvantaged and vulnerable in our society, including pensioners, whom this unjust tax is hitting hardest. The position of the Government parties, which are primarily responsible for the bin tax, is similar, and they are, according to their amendment, supporting the continuing discussions within the social partnership process to address the inequitable impact of the tax on the disadvantaged.

I opposed this tax from the outset because it is inequitable, is not based on people's ability to pay and hits lower income groups hardest. That was always clear and was for me a basic reason for opposing the tax. While Fianna Fáil councillors were whipped in to tow the line at Dublin City Council and propose the tax, Opposition party councillors made no genuine effort to stop this unjust tax and, to a greater or lesser degree, they facilitated its introduction.

I well recall the estimates meeting at which Dublin City Council voted in this tax. A majority of councillors representing Fine Gael, the party opposed to stealth taxes, voted in favour of the bin tax. The Labour Party was, as usual, in turmoil and several of its councillors, including the Lord Mayor, voted for the tax. Another Labour councillor went missing. The Green Party, not wanting to be outdone, seconded the proposal on the estimates to introduce the tax. Sinn Féin, the party the media constantly informs us is doing trojan work in disadvantaged urban areas, had four city councillors at the time and, as part of the deal to get this unjust tax imposed on Dublin city, two of the four went missing. When I and Deputy Finian McGrath, who was a councillor at the time, requested a roll call vote to expose this arrangement, we could not obtain the support of a single councillor from any party and the most important decision of the city council as regards its estimates for the year was rushed through on a quick show of hands.

The dishonest and hypocritical arrangement to which I refer continued to hold sway in Dublin City Council right up to the most recent estimates meeting held on 29 November last, when a majority of the council was composed of councillors from Labour and Sinn Féin, in particular, who were elected at the recent elections to oppose the tax. These two parties did not even make an effort at the meeting, with Labour again in disarray and some of its councillors voting in favour of the tax, and the ten Sinn Féin councillors colluding yet again to prevent a roll call vote.

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