Boycott the banks

national | consumer issues | news report

Tuesday November 13, 2007 10:16

by Aragon

Government stealing our money

Is anyone else outraged at the governments' behaviour over bank link cards?

After waiting over two weeks for an ordinary bank link card that AIB had promised to send within five working days it was surprising to receive instead a brochure telling me that, actually, I wouldn't be getting one. Instead I was going to be sent a debit card. The banks are phasing out the ordinary bank link card. 'Fine', I said, so long as there are no extra charges involved. Besdies I don't actually want a debit card.'

The nice man at AIB told me that in fact the charges would be double the usual E10 that customers have to pay annually for a bank link card. This doesnt add up though, becuase the cost of a debit card is actually forty pounds a year and the banks have been helping themselves to that amount from ordinary bank link card holders too, even though they are not credit cards which is what the levy is supposed to be about. They even take this money from children who keep their pocket money in the bank. All of these charges were imposed without notice or consultation. The man from AIB also said it had nothing to do with the banks, that it was all the fault of the government who have found a new way of raising taxes without telling us - let alone asking our permission. At a stroke they have doubled this lucrative form of taxation and will raise millions in the process. If we could believe that every penny of it was going into our deliberately starved and dying health service maybe people would overlook the arrogance and the theft.

But no, nothing like that will happen at all. The fat fuckers who run this country have dreamed up another scheme for preserving their advantage over the hardworking poor. They steal our money and slash our services at the same time. So where is the money going, exactly? Now the economy is in a nose-dive alternative means have to be found of ensuring that the wage slaves go on subsidising their disgusting lifestyles, no matter what hardship is caused. Not content with having made us pay for their SSIA dividends we are now to bear the full brunt of the government's incompetence and mismanagement of the economy. All those property developers - 'friends' of Bertie Ahern - you know the ones who get cushy little jobs and so on in return for being 'friendly' to Bertie - they have to be appeased now that the party is over. Only it's us who are doing the appeasing - even if we are not told about it.

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Comments (5 of 5)

Pretty tricky to boycott the banks.

by JB

Tue Nov 13, 2007 12:52

Seeing how most of us get our wages paid directly into our bank accounts as our employers are no longer obliged to pay us directly in cash... (a lovely piece of legislation that benefited the banks.)

Where have you been ?

by Mike - Judean Popular Peoples Front

Tue Nov 13, 2007 17:48

This card levy (stealth tax) has been in place since about 1990.

Its just one of the hundreds of reasons of hidden stealth taxes used by the Irish state to screw the public and rob them blind

And one of the thousands of reasons why anyone with an ounce of sense should vote with their feet and leave the place at the earliest opportunity never to return

Why don't you......

by Monty Fightin' - To the left

Tue Nov 13, 2007 17:59

...-the author- start a campaign? Now there's an issue worth fighting for, our hard earned bread! I'm sure you will get plenty of help....plenty of hot air too, but sure that's only wind.

Go for it....why don't ye?

cost

by hillary c

Tue Nov 13, 2007 19:26

Hillary is going to Dublin to meet the american campaign supporters. tickets €1500.00 for a dinner there,.

Try reading the literature again

by Johnny G

Wed Nov 14, 2007 16:47

Eh you've picked it up wrong. Take a look at the literature that came with your card. If you dont use the debit card facility (e.g. you dont pay for stuff in shops with it) you wont be charged anything extra. While I agree with you about stealth taxes, I dont agree with the main trust of your comment. It just shows that you didnt bother to read the information you were sent (which is very very clear and easy to understand).

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Comments (5 of 5)