Bin Tax Demonstration

dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | event notice Monday February 14, 2005 19:10 by Non payer

All Out Against the Bin Tax

Satuday 26th Feb at 2pm

Assemble at the Garden of Remembrance,
Parnell Sq, Dublin City

The city councils are depriving citizens of a full refuse collection service. Rubbish is being left lying around streets - creating a pubic health and
environmental hazard. The city councils want to break the anti-bin charges campaign. This campaign has huge support because most people oppose a double tax on PAYE workers. In Dublin city the charges have been increased this year by a staggering 74 percent. If the councils get their way, they will increase again next year.

In Sligo and Wexford people are expected to pay up to 700 euro a year. And in most cases the service is run by private operators. Private companies have no obligation to give waivers to pensioners or social welfare dependents. In Dun Laoghaire /Rathdown the Council have got rid of the waiver on the lift and weight charges which means that pensioners will have to pay between 200 and 300 euro each year. And this will
be repeated in Dublin City and elsewhere.

Refuse collection is a public service and it must stay in public hands. Privatisation has meant a huge increase in illegal dumping – with an estimated 200 illegal dumps in the country. Currently between 10 and 15% of waste is unaccounted for.

This government is not introducing bin charges because it cares about re-cycling or the environment. They have hardly put any investment into recycling and instead want to build more incinerators. They did nothing about the closure of Irish Glass two years ago and Smurfit paper mills – even though these facilities re-cycle paper and glass.

Their sole interest in bin charges is bringing in another stealth tax. They have allowed wealthy ‘tax exiles’ to get away with paying no taxes – and instead are forcing the people to pay a whole array of new taxes.

This is our opportunity to show the anger and massive opposition that exists to the Government’s waste management policies. If we all make a special effort to get out and protest on Saturday 26th February at 2pm, we can send a strong message of people power to the Government and the Councils.

This demonstration is supported by an alliance of anti-bin charges campaigns, environmental and residents groups, the Dublin Council of Trade Unions and many individual TDs and councillors.
Issued by the Dublin City Campaign Against the Bin Tax

Contact 087 9090166 or 086-3888151 for more details