Clarification from Dept of Social Protection will be welcomed by Social Welfare applicants but wording letters must be changed to prevent deliberate confusion

Posted by Campaign Reporter on Sep 21st, 2012

Clarification from Dept of Social Protection will be welcomed by Social Welfare applicants but wording of letters must be changed to prevent deliberate confusion

Speaking after today’s successful picket and press event outside the Ministerial Office of Joan Burton organised by the Wicklow branch of the Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes Niamh McDonald said:

“The press statement from the Department confirming that a payment receipt for the Household Tax is not a requirement for homeowners applying for a Public Service Card will be met with relief from many social welfare applicants.

“It was absolutely neccessary for the Wicklow CAHWT, with support from other branches of the campaign to initiate a picket and press event in response to the letter received by Arklow resident Gisela Schubert which set out to deliberatley give the impression that homeowners applying for their entitlements had to pay the unjust tax.

“However we cannot leave it at that. The letter in question, if it is standard issue, must be changed to prevent further confusion. I welcome the fact that Clare Council Council retreated on the issue of refering to the Household Tax from the point of view of third level grant applications. The Department of Social Protection must now follow but not weaving the Household Tax into their application processes.

Michael O’Brien from the Wicklow CAHWT added:

“In Clare and Wicklow that CAHWT this week has shown that we are capable of responding rapidly to every dirty trick thrown at us by the state. This is just an overture to an autumn which will see them throwing further threats, court action and property tax legislation at us. We will respond with mass meetings and protests.

“The governments actions and the actions by various branches of the state to harrass and bully money out of people has laid the basis for the effective relaunch of the CAHWT nationally on a higher level than what we have seen at the start of the year.”