TOMORROW IS BIN DAY - HELP NEEDED

dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | press release Tuesday September 09, 2003 22:37 by socialist - anti bin tax

sorry to repeat this but its important - fingal press statement

Tomorrow (Wednesday) householders’ blockade in response to Council’s decision to leave thousands of refuse bins uncollected

Fingal Anti-Bin Tax Campaign Press Statement
9th September 2003
Bin Tax Non-Collection - Councils Declare War on Householders

Tomorrow (Wednesday) householders’ blockade in response to Council’s decision to leave thousands of refuse bins uncollected

People Power campaign mobilises to resist Government’s stealth tax policies

FROM TOMORROW, the management of Fingal County Council has ordered that thousands of householders’ refuse bins be left uncollected because they are boycotting the bin tax. This is a declaration of war on the compliant PAYE taxpayers and contributory pensioners who are the basis of opposition to the bin double tax.

The response of the communities on the bin routes will be to prevent the Council victimising the decent taxpayers. They will implement a policy of “All bins are collected or no bins will be collected”. The bin routes will not be allowed to proceed while bins are left behind.

A blow against stealth taxes

The Government is launching a savage attack on local democracy and attempting to impose a new tier of local taxation on ordinary people. The Government hopes to bludgeon householders into an acceptance of the bin tax. It then wants the level of bin taxes increased annually to substantial amounts. This is against a background of massive tax breaks to big business in the Budgets of 2001 and 2002 (provision for corporation tax reduction of €329 million in 2001 and €305 in 2002).

The next part of the agenda is an attempt to restore the hated water charges. It is, in other words, the creation of a parallel tier of local taxation which will, in no time, reach €1,000 per household. The Campaign to oppose non- collection is very much a blow against the actions of a Government which cheated its way to a Second Term and has since put many heavy burdens on ordinary people through its regime of stealth taxation including the relentless rise of local service charges such as that for refuse collection.

Appeal to Trade Unions

The Campaign is appealing to the trade union movement to back its resistance in line with the Conference policy of many unions. We do not believe that the bin workers should be put in the invidious position of leaving household bins uncollected. They certainly should not have to run a gauntlet of democratic community opposition ad we believe that the bin workers should be supported if they decide to return to their depots when that happens.

No Privatisation of Bin Service

In a whole series of local authorities, the implementation of a bin tax regime has been followed by privatisation – the handing over of the service to private operators. The Campaign is vehemently opposed to this. We stand for refuse collection to be public service with proper wages and conditions for the workers.

Solidarity Action

The Anti Bin Tax Campaigns in Dublin City and South Dublin, Dun Laoighre Rathdown are planning solidarity action with the campaign in Fingal. Lobbies of bin depots in Dublin Corporation will take place in Dublin on Thursday and a series of bin routes will also be halted in protest in a range of communities.

Local and Euro Elections

The establishment political parties should be aware that they face Local and European Elections in nine months time. They will pay a very heavy price in the Dublin region if they continue to force this unfair taxation on taxpayers and attempt to enforce it with intimidatory action.

Tony Gregory TD (Ind), Finian McGrath TD (Ind), Seamus Healy TD (Ind) and Joe Higgins TD (SP) are fully backing the householders Campaign of opposition.

For further information, contact Cllr. Clare Daly (Chair) at (01) 8408059 / 087-2415576 or Cllr. Ruth Coppinger (Secretary) at 087 673 0187