Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have a very straightforward question this morning. When will I, another compliant taxpayer, get my water charges money back? This is the question on the lips of every compliant taxpayer this morning, or at least the 1 million people who have paid their water charges. The idea that has been floated over recent days, that those who have not paid their water charges will be pursued and made pay the money still owed, is a complete nonsense. Fine Gael knows that. We all know it is an impossibility. Of course, nobody likes paying new taxes or charges - that is human nature - but the majority of people paid and are paying for water. This is evident in rural areas, for example. Many of those who have paid their water charges have done so through gritted teeth and in difficult circumstances. They expect that a party that prides itself on its role in founding the State and on supporting compliant taxpayers and those who comply with the law will support them. That party is Fine Gael. Given the recent approach of the Government to the idea of water charges, Fine Gael can no longer be relied on to be the party that vindicates the rights of compliant taxpayers and those who abide by the law.This morning there were a lot of very worried Fine Gael Deputies and Senators taking calls in their constituency offices and in the House and meeting constituents face to face who are concerned that they have paid their water charges while others have not. The message being sent now is that it is fine if one does not pay a charge passed by these Houses, albeit in difficult circumstances. That quick fix is not acceptable to anybody.

Citizens who have paid their water charges need clarity now. As a compliant citizen, I want to know when I will be refunded the water charges I have paid and the people I represent want to know too. The cynical, political time-buying exercise that was the commission which reported this week - a report which has been kicked to a committee of these Houses for further consideration - will not buy sufficient time for the House to come to a conclusion that will be acceptable to anyone. It cannot be used as an excuse to fudge this issue any longer. The issue will have to be resolved before March when the committee reports. The Minister needs to come to the House today to explain what his position is. It is clear to me that the Fine Gael Party is divided on this issue. The people who paid their water charges need to know when and how they will be refunded.