From top: Water funding committee; Kildare County Council independent Councillor Brendan Young
The Oireachtas Committee on the Funding of Water is embroiled in last minute disagreements over recommendations for its final report which will be voted in the Dáil on April 14.
A situation former Environment Minister and irish Water enthusiast Alan Kelly described as “farcical” this morning.
So what are the sticking points?
Right2Water activist Brendan Young explains:
I have seen the recommendations for funding water. The Committee has rejected the domestic water charge regime proposed by Fine Gael and Labour.
But Fine Gael also wants a domestic water tax – clauses 1.4 and 1.5 of the recommendations to the Oireachtas Committee show this.
The Committee yesterday voted against Fine Gael and changed clause 1.4 a. to say funding should be “dedicated from within existing general taxation” – rather than allow a “dedicated” water tax.
While the Committee majority also voted to change the first sentence of Clause 1.5 to say “The Committee recommends that domestic water use should be funded through general taxation”, that clause still says “such funding must be clearly identifiable within existing taxation”.
This opens the door to an “identifiable” water tax to replace the charges. It opens the possibility of a water tax for PAYE workers…
…The Committee also voted to delete the proposal in clause 1.5 that the State should be a customer of the utility: if the State was to pay IW as its ‘customer’, it could be compelled under EU Competition law to allow other operators to compete to provide the service.
The recommendations also include metering of all new-build housing and apartment blocks, supposedly to tackle “wasteful use”.This is a Trojan Horse for future charges: Welsh Water told the Oireachtas Committee that the only function for domestic meters is to charge people. They said district meters are the best way to deal with leaks and big users, with which the Committee agrees.”
Water charge issue ‘complete farce’ – Kelly (RTÉ)
when all the dust has settled, will those who paid get their money back?
ask redacted
Ha! well played dav, but one might get sued for asking!
Yes
this should guarantee a turnout at the march saturday
I’ll be there. Phil.
“This opens the door to an “identifiable” water tax to replace the charges. It opens the possibility of a water tax for PAYE workers…”
well no flipping poo, where do people think water will be funded from, it’s going to come out of your tax if you’re taxpayer, whether its a distinguishable line on your payslip or not
It’ll just be added to the Local Property Tax. Which is where it should be.
People Before Profit/The Ogle Party are against that too, of course.
#WONTPAY
“WONTPAY” the customary behaviour of giving money for goods or services.
…ah here Bodger…I know some of these headlines just write themselves…but well done…even when everything to do with water has been said and done…
Good oul’ FF/FG/LAB, they continue to seek by ANY MEANS an identifiable separate charge for water, in order to satisfy their Paymasters, and their party ideologies. They can take a flying F*** at a rolling doughnut.
“Irish Water enthusiast Alan Kelly” …
I would love to Waterboard Alan Kelly.
Yet another of your bizarre paranoid revenge fantasies involving public representatives – you should really talk to someone.
It’s a tough time for the right wing cult at the moment Rob, you need to choose your battles carefully when your back is on the ropes
I’m on the waiting list for Sister Concilio, you sad, sad man.
Sister Consilio Rehab
Give a fiver a month
It could help a lot
Fantasising about subjecting some person you have never met to torture because he has different views to you on environmental policy is pretty troubling. Look after yourself.
“environmental policy”
Says it all..
Tax policy – whatever. It’s a bit psychopath-y.
Sporting type, yes?
Couch potato, who likes watching sport. Is that any good? or is it bad?
You, me and thousand’s more bro
PS Rob-G. In a long series of very poor efforts, today’s comes at the very bottom. Go back to Perry Trone or whoever for a refresher.
Will do; you go ahead and continue to spew hate and bile about perfect strangers who you don’t agree with for some reason.
Hi, mate.
Hello, Moyest.
– Sheik, here is a good example: two people who don’t see eye-to-eye engaging in a civil exchange.
Do you remember calling me stupid a few days ago because I had a different point of view to you?
No, but I will take you at your word that I did.
Even though that wasn’t very nice, it’s not really on the same scale as saying that you would like to torture someone, as Sheik did above.
So you’re choosing to dig. Fair enough.
“Hate and bile”!! :-D You crack me up, you really do.
Sheik what do you think of the rumour of gannon joining FF like Donnelly?
V disappointing, if true. No matter, it takes years to build a political party, SD is in its infancy.