Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)

This Bill was published only nine days ago, yet already the charge it exists to bring about has been the subject of much discussion in the streets and workplaces of the country. I understand that when speaking on the Bill in the Seanad, the Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd, stated that the charge was a relatively modest one. Whenever Government Deputies speak about this charge, or the septic tank charge, it is implied in what they say that it is a charge that people can afford. This is not stated explicitly, but it seems to be beyond question as far as they are concerned that people will be able to afford it. This is a sign that they are not in touch with the reality on the ground. People have already been cut to the bone. I do not believe the Government Deputies fully appreciate the sacrifices that families are already making. The weekend following the budget, numerous constituents made contact with my office to tell me how worried they are. They told me they simply did not know how they would manage. I find all this deeply troubling.

This is a very unfair tax. It is not right that somebody living in an apartment and struggling to pay a mortgage must pay the same as someone living in a very big house with no mortgage. Many people simply do not have the money. They cannot afford their mortgages and, on top of the recent budget cuts, this household charge will push them over the edge. I recently came across a case in Cork in which a family had to stop sending their sons to the Scouts as they could not afford to pay the registration costs. Like the household charge, this was around €100. As with the septic tank registration charge, they could have paid it in instalments, but they simply could not afford it. This was no spendthrift family. They had made numerous sacrifices to cut costs, stopping unnecessary purchases and even giving up cigarettes before they were forced into the decision. They wanted their sons to be able to participate in the Scouts, but they simply did not have the money - it just was not there. This is just one of a legion of examples I - and, I am sure, my colleagues - have come across of people who simply have nothing left to give.

This Bill takes little or no account of ability to pay. The exemption categories are far too narrow. Aside from certain exemptions regarding commercial properties and local authority housing, everyone living in most types of housing is expected to be able to pay. This will hit many categories of people hard. I am particularly fearful for the elderly, who also saw their fuel allowance cut in the budget. They may own their own homes, having spent many years prudently paying their mortgages, but many of these people are cash-poor. I am sure we will see the charge being passed on to tenants in private rented accommodation by landlords. Most incredibly, those in receipt of social welfare in various forms will be expected to pay if they own their own homes, even if they are at risk of poverty. This charge is a blunt instrument and it is gratuitous. I am not sure by what metric it can be described as fair that a millionaire and a single parent struggling on a weekly basis will have to pay the same rate regardless of their incomes or the properties they live in.

I am reminded of a political broadcast produced by the Conservative Party in the late 1980s promoting the community charge, or the poll tax, as it was better known. The broadcast, which can be found on the Internet, stated that the charge was fair as everyone paid it and everyone paid the same. It was an insult to the intelligence of the British people, and they saw right through it. Our Government is making a similar argument that because everyone pays the same, the charge is fair. It is my view that the Irish people will not buy this argument. I can do nothing but oppose such an inequitable and grossly unfair charge, and I call on the Government to reverse its decision. I am sure the Government Deputies will have the worries, concerns and anger of their constituents ringing in their ears this Christmas if they proceed with this legislation, and rightly so.

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