Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I remind the Government that the charges introduced today are the same for millionaires and those on the lowest incomes. This is a regressive tax. If nothing else, the Government's recent actions expose the fact that the conservation argument was a red herring used to hide the truth that water charges were actually nothing more than another form of taxation. They are actually a water tax to be imposed on already hard-pressed householders who have seen a litany of cuts in wages and services and extra charges and taxes. All of this has happened relentlessly since the bank bailout.

On conservation, Irish Water has soaked up huge amounts of money, but the problem of leakages in the system has not been addressed and may have been worsened by the metering programme carried out by contractors on behalf of Irish Water.

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