Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State referred to a figure of €1 billion and 1.35 million houses. That works out at €740 per year. If that is what we are being asked to impose, the Minister of State should make the information available. However, such a charge would cause severe concern. That is the amount I calculate based on the information given by the Minister of State.

As Senator David Cullinane said, we are talking about people who are paying their taxes. The Department seems to think that because it will get the money from the water charge people who pay income tax are some kind of scroungers. They are taxpayers who support the State and now they could have to pay €740 extra. It would be useful if we could factor such an amount into the debate. The Irish Examiner has stated the charge will be €500. The website, moneyguideireland.com, states it could be €740 based on the numbers from a few years ago. We might try to raise only €500 million, in which case the charge would be €370, but the lump sums mentioned are serious impositions on taxpayers. If the Minister of State were to say people would get €740 off their income tax and be charged for water, that would make matters much more efficient, but he is doing both. The Department has overlooked this. It wants the money from the water charges, but it will not tell the Minister for Finance, Deputy Michael Noonan, to take it easy on the income tax side.

The Minister of State referred to a loss of water. It cannot be in houses or one’s house would fill up with water and gardens would be flooded. The loss of water is a matter for the Department. The pipework in the public domain must be examined. The attempt to say consumers are wasting water does not hold any water. However, it has been the line from the Department that this is a new environmentalism or a new puritanism. It is obvious that the losses occur mostly in areas for which the Department already has control. The loss of water could not happen in houses. One’s upstairs bathroom would flood and destroy the house if that was where the leaks occurred or the garden would be flooded. I do not believe the leakages are predominantly or significantly in private property. If it is the case that we are talking about imposing an extra charge of €740 for water on top of all the taxes imposed recently, let us put the number up-front and be less coy about it.