Thomas Pringle (Donegal South West, Independent)

Normally, one says that one welcomes the opportunity to contribute to a debate on a Bill. However, in this case, I am disappointed in the Bill and totally opposed to it. In April of this year, the Technical Group tabled a Private Members' motion calling for a referendum on the EU-IMF bailout deal, which was rejected by the Government. At that time, in responding to the motion, the Taoiseach said in the Chamber that the people had had a referendum and that they had voted unanimously in favour of the formation of a Government by the Fine Gael Party and the Labour Party. The people did not vote for the Fine Gael and Labour parties to continue the policies of the Fianna Fáil Party and the Green Party, but that is what they got. There was no referendum and the people did not have their say. This Bill, when passed, will give people the opportunity to have their say. It proposes that people come forward and volunteer their registration for this tax, which equates to saying they agree with it. I call on people to exercise their mandate by refusing to register for this tax. In this way they will send a message to the Government that the tax is unfair and unworkable and that they will not sign up to pay a household tax that is being levied on them so that the Government can hand over money to bankers and failed property developers in support of an EU-IMF deal that has been imposed upon us. The people can have their say and refuse to register for it, and that will show that this tax is unworkable and that the people's real choice has been made.

Over the past number of weeks, thousands of people have attended public meetings all over the country. Many people who spoke at those meetings said that they simply could not afford to register for and pay this household tax. Even though the Government says it is less than €2 per week, people are saying clearly in public that they cannot afford it, and for that reason they will not register or pay the charge because it is a step too far for them. Although Members here can afford to pay the charge, I will stand with those people and say that we will show our displeasure by refusing to register for or pay this tax. I will stand with the people who cannot afford to pay it. There are many people all over the country, as has already been outlined in the debate here, who cannot afford to pay this tax. They are being forced to choose whether to buy food or heat their houses and they are living through the winter nights without heating because of the burden that has been placed on them to support the EU-IMF bailout. Those people are making a clear decision that they cannot afford it and they will not pay it, and I call on people who can afford it to stand with them. They can offer their friends or neighbours support by saying that they stand in opposition to this unfair tax and they will not register for it. They will send a clear message to the Government that this tax is unfair and unworkable and they will not support it.

The other reason I oppose this tax is that last week in the budget the Government cut the local government fund by €171 million and then, in this Bill, took the cowardly option of penalising local authorities by obliging them to raise €160 million. The cutting of the Local Government Fund will leave local authorities in dire financial straits due to the imposition of a tax that the Government does not have the courage to levy itself. It is forcing it on local authorities and forcing ordinary people to come forward to pay this tax. It is a step too far. It is unfair, and no amount of waivers for those in council houses or unfinished estates will make it fair. I call on everybody to support a "can't pay, won't pay" campaign. This will send a strong message that we are not supporting it and we will not pay up. We will stand together, say to the Government that this tax is unfair, and ask it to go back to the drawing board or to its masters in Europe and tell them it will not force this on the people of Ireland.

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