Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

During Leaders' Questions this afternoon, the Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, stated he lived in the land of reality and added, in reference to the household charge, that it is a law that "the majority of people favour strongly". If he believes that statement, we are in even deeper trouble than I thought when we have such a delusional Taoiseach representing us at EU level.

The household charge has been one of the worst fiascos ever perpetrated by an Irish Government. It is unjust, unfair and uncollectable. The law requiring householders to register and pay has been ignored by hundreds of thousands of people across the State. These are not habitual law-breakers or criminals but decent people who have simply had enough and decided that this imposition on them and their families will not be accepted. Many tens of thousands of others, and perhaps more again, have paid the household charge but remain vehement in their opposition to the charge. The Government should not lump them into the group it claims is strongly in favour of the charge.

The arrogance of the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government in persisting with its efforts to impose this charge is nothing short of breathtaking. Did it really expect people who have been hit again and again with charges, taxes, wage cuts, price rises and cuts to services for which they have already paid, as my colleague, Deputy Stanley, enumerated, to volunteer to pay an unjust and inequitable household charge? If that is the case, Government members are already very distant from the reality of people's lives, having taken office less than 18 months ago.

Some 47% of Irish adults have less than €100 to spend by the end of the month once bills are paid. Nearly two thirds of households have less to spend than they did this time last year according to the income tracking survey published in April by the Irish League of Credit Unions. Some 28% of respondents to the survey indicated they could not afford to pay the household charge, while 45% stated they were struggling to cover the cost of keeping their cars on the road as a result of increases in motor tax and a dramatic rise in the price of fuel.

I doubt if any form of tax has been as widely boycotted as the household charge since the days of British rule. Around 50% of those liable under the legislation have not paid the charge, yet the Minister, Deputy Hogan, and his Fine Gael and Labour Party colleagues persist and insist that it can succeed. One definition of stupidity is repeating the same mistake over and over again and expecting a different result. That is the stupidity of the Government in persisting with this charge and an austerity strategy that is not working.

As with many Deputies, I served in local government before being elected to the Dáil. I deplore the manner in which the Government has tied the financing of local government to this charge. With supreme hypocrisy it cut the local government fund, imposed an uncollectable household charge and now blames those who refuse to pay it for the funding crisis in local government. Such nonsense from a Government that has repeatedly allowed breaches to its own guidelines for the pay of ministerial advisers, refuses to introduce a higher top rate of tax for those receiving more than €100,000 per annum, will not cap public servants' pay at €100,000, persists in paying billions to bank bondholders and follows the futile path of austerity regardless of the consequences. Having done all of this, it then blames the householder who does not pay the household charge for the crisis in the public finances.

The signalled proposal to deduct the successor to the household charge - the property charge in whatever form it takes - directly from the pay of PAYE workers is outrageous. If the Government believes it has encountered anger over the household charge and chooses to go down that route, it has not seen anything yet.

It is long past time the Government cut its losses, did the right thing and abolished the household charge. I appeal to all Fine Gael and Labour Party Deputies and all voices on the Opposition benches to support the proposition in the Bill when it is put to the House tomorrow night. I appeal especially to Labour Party Deputies to stand by the promise of fairness they gave the electorate in 2011 by voting to scrap the household charge. People do not object to paying their fair share or contributing to a fair means of funding and financing the needs of the State and its citizenry. However, the household charge is an outrageous and ill thought out mechanism that is not working and is creating significant hurt in our communities. It is time to a call it a day and find an equitable and fair alternative.

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