Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The hardship endured by masses of people in this State as a result of the economic collapse, which was undoubtedly caused by Fianna Fáil, is being compounded by the ongoing imposition of the failed policy of austerity by the Fine Gael-Labour Party Government. The sharp end of that austerity policy is now being experienced by people the length and breadth of the country. I refer to the so-called property tax, which is really a tax on the family home. The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and their respective parties are on the record as opposing this form of blanket tax, which takes no account of ability to pay. They have now left that opposition behind them. It has been discarded in the same dustbin of history where the Labour Party threw its posters proclaiming "Protect Child Benefit - Vote Labour".

The spin from the Government - that this tax on the family home is great for local government - is pure baloney. The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, is delivering a double blow to local government and local democracy. He has cut funding for local government. He is pushing ahead with his plan to abolish town councils and drastically cut the number of councillors without restoring any real powers to councils or the communities they represent. People will not know what they have lost until it is gone. There should be no mistake about that. People are being forced to pay this unjust family home tax at the same time as local government services are being cut back.

A prime example of the cruel, senseless and totally counterproductive nature of local government cuts is the slashing of the housing adaptation grant, for which the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is responsible. The overall cut of 40% across the State this year is outrageous. It is even higher than that in some local authorities. Many older people and people with disabilities who own their own homes have been forced to pay the family home tax at the very time they are being told they will not get support from their local authorities to have vital works carried out to make their homes liveable in.

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