Property tax campaigners set for major protest

OPPONENTS of the property tax have vowed to step up their campaign following a series of protests.

Ken Murphy, a spokesperson for the Santry Coolock region of the national Campaign Against Home and Water Taxes (CAHWT) group, said they were now gearing up for a major protest in the city centre this Saturday, April 13.

According to Mr Murphy, a number of protests held over the last few weeks on the Northside, including Artane, Santry, Edenmore, Fairview and outside Dublin Bay North TD Sean Kenny’s (Lab) advice clinic in Donaghmede, were

“very successful

?.

Most householders have received a letter from Revenue with the estimate of their property tax for the second half of this year and a demand that they indicate their payment method by May.

“There is no doubt that the vast majority of people oppose this austerity tax and many want to resist it as best they can,

? Mr Murphy told Northside People.

“At the moment we are just trying to raise awareness about how draconian these taxes are.

“They defy belief. The meetings have been about giving people information about the tax.

“However, more importantly, they’ve been about discussing how we as a community, linked up with communities across Dublin and the State, can organise a mass boycott and apply maximum political pressure on the Government over the next weeks and months.

“We want people to know that there is an outlet out there for their protests and they have a voice.

?

Mr Murphy said they would be particularly targeting Labour Party representatives who

“received a lot of support in this community at the last general election

?.

“They have to understand that their continued support for the property tax has career ending potential for them,

? he warned.

Mr Murphy is himself facing a bill for

?¬247 (six months) for his own property and has vowed to make it

“as difficult as possible

? for Revenue to get it from him.

“I’ll pay a fine if I have to,

? he declared.

“Taking the money from people’s wages is also another draconian measure. This tax alone works out at an extra

?¬10 per week for me.

?

In relation to the household charge, which he has also steadfastly refused to pay, Mr Murphy said:

“Personally, I would be prepared to go to prison rather than pay the household charge.

?

Meanwhile, Mr Murphy said the campaigners were hoping for a very large attendance on Saturday.

“If we stick together and turn out in huge numbers, we will have a better chance of succeeding,

? he added.

Dublin Bay North TD Sean Kenny (Lab) said he has

“no difficulty

? in meeting CAHWT or with their right to peaceful protest.

“As regards their criticism of the Labour Party some of the CAWHT people who came to see me admitted that they had not voted number one for the Labour Party in the 2011 General Election,

? Deputy Kenny told Northside People.

“We are one of the last countries in Europe that does not fund local
services through local property-based charges.

“The fact of the matter is that local services have to be paid for.

“They include: fire and emergency services; maintenance and cleaning of
streets; planning and development; public parks; street lighting; libraries; open spaces and leisure amenities. These facilities benefit
everyone.

?

When asked would he personally have a fear of losing his seat in the next general election given Labour’s poor showing in the East Meath by-election, Deputy Kenny replied:

“I think that by-election results are not always reliable indicators and the Labour Party has demonstrated its ability to recover many times.

?