David Cullinane (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When the Government introduced the household charge it assumed it would sail through and the people would accept it because it was only ¤100. How wrong that was.

I have a final point on the property tax. The Government told people on low incomes they could defer their payment but now it will charge them 4% interest. These are low income earners who will be charged for deferring their payments. Government Members should be ashamed of themselves for bringing a budget to us that will have a disproportionate impact on most lower and middle-income families, and those on welfare who needed to be protected. There was not one cent of a pay cut for politicians, no extra income taxes for higher earners, no wealth tax, no fairness, just more of the same - more of what we got from Fianna Fáil. That is what Fine Gael and the Labour Party have delivered for the people of this country. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.