Volunteer

The non payment by Mick Wallace's of €1.4 million VAT due on sales of apartments is disgraceful. When speaking on Morning Ireland after the story broke, his comments that the €2.1 million due to Revenue (including interest and penalties), would not be paid, itself indicated the gulf in his views on what is acceptable on these issues and those of ordinary working class people throughout the country and in his own Wexford constituency.

“Introducing a property tax will prove one of this Government’s most difficult challenges.  It may even prove intractable.” - Noel Whelan, Irish Times, 1 September. The Government’s new property tax will hit households many times harder than this year’s household tax. The International Monetary Fund have called on the Government to introduce the property tax at a “suitably high” rate.

After a tremendous demonstration against cuts last Saturday, 14 May, in Barcelona, with 250,000 participants, this week saw the development of the “May 15 movement”. Unemployed and students took to the streets. Inspired by the demonstrations in Portugal and the revolutions in the Maghreb and Middle East, especially Egypt, young people occupied Puerta del Sol, one of the main squares of Madrid. Police repeatedly tried to break up the protest but the youth defended their “Tahir Square”.

The reality of what the bank bailouts mean for working class communities is very real. Billions are already being sucked out of public services and publicly funded programmes - and worse is to come.