Support “Rural Ireland Against Charges” March in Dublin

Posted by Galway Reporter on Feb 27th, 2012

Different rural groups and campaigns opposed to the septic tank and household taxes will be marching on the Dail on Wednesday February 29th, assembling at 12 noon at the Spire.

The Campaign Against Household & Water Taxes is completely opposed to all the new home taxes, household, water, property and septic tank. We are delighted to see the movement of opposition these charges in Rural Ireland, and the connected struggles against other cuts to their communities. We completely support their struggle and this protest.

The march is organized by Rural Ireland Against Charges, who the CAHWT have worked closely with.

Here is more information on the march, from RIAC themselves:

The homes in our Republic are under attack and it is time to shout stop. The government wants to make the people pay for the recklessness of domestic and foreign banks and financial speculators. Taxes on our homes, whether it is the household charge or the septic tank tax, have to be opposed. These are the only taxes that we can refuse to pay and we should not pay them.

We are organizing a “No Home Taxes” protest against both the septic tank charges and the household charge outside Dáil Éireann on Wednesday 29 February. We would like to invite as many of your readers as possible to join us. Meetings and protests against the septic tank charge have happened all over rural Ireland and this is an excellent opportunity to come together to demonstrate our widespread rejection of this and the other charges. The septic tank tax is particularly aimed against rural Ireland. Our protests have so far had an impact on Minister of the Environment Phil Hogan with his decision to reduce the registration free from €50 to €5.

But this is not the main issue. Our main demand is that the state should pay for the upgrading and maintenance of our septic tanks. The state, with the help of taxes on rural Ireland, funds all the urban water and sewerage treatment plants. Indeed, in its most recent report the Environment Protection Agency says the government must fund improvements in 50% of the state’s waste treatment plants in urban areas. We in Rural Ireland Against The Charges demand equality with our brothers and sisters living in urban Ireland. The money is there–the Government has earmarked €1.5 billion for water and wastewater treatment in the next five years. 10% of that money would suffice to cover the cost of bringing septic tank systems throughout the Republic up to standard. It would also provide much-needed jobs for construction workers.

It is worth restating the main points of our campaign:

1. We are totally in favour of clean water;
2. We accept that septic tanks should be fully functional;
3. We demand that the cost of remedial work should come out of general taxation.

At the end of the day the issue is all about equity and fairness. Funds must be spent upgrading rural waste systems in the same way as upgrading urban waste water systems are being upgraded. We all pay our taxes and deserve an equivalent level of services.