Here we post the video of Joe Higgins’ speech in the Dail on the new household tax.
The Government has declared a new economic war on the people with its new household tax. It will be a new burden on ordinary people in furtherance of the Government’s ruinous austerity policy of bailing out banks and speculators.
The government, in their arrogance, have made a huge mistake here. They have no idea of how angry, frustrated and outraged our people have become over the past three years as their wages, health and education services have been slashed with our society hollowed out as its resources are expropriated to pay the private gambling debts of Irish and European banks. This anger was hugely added to last month when €700 million was given to unsecured Anglo Irish Bank bondholders from the taxes of ordinary people.
This household tax is a burden too far. Starting at €100, everyone knows it will rise quickly to €1,000 with the EU-IMF driving it as well. This will be met with a massive campaign of opposition from Donegal to Wexford, from Kerry right back to Dublin? The government’s disgraceful campaign of intimidation of threatening householders with fines of €2,500 for non-registration will be resisted. They have set March 31 as a deadline.
Already a massive campaign of the 1.6 million householders of low and middle income workers to boycott this tax has begun. This is their opportunity to have their own referendum on these ruinous austerity polices. We will use this three month period that the government has given, in which no one can be touched for not registering, to organise non-registration so that as we come up to the March 31st deadline, we have a mass boycott of this tax, which can make it uncollectable, and make the threats of fines etc unworkable. The government have made a huge mistake with this tax, and given people a huge opportunity now to strike a blow against austerity by refusing to pay.
