The Cavalry of the Household Charge

[DCon]

Big Phil is back (just after the referendum)

[barrym]

Jaysus, the ESB 'database' doesn't identify the owner, only the person paying the ESB bill....

[fluffybiscuits]

Jaysus, the ESB 'database' doesn't identify the owner, only the person paying the ESB bill....

Hogan reeking of desperation with this tactic. If someone rents a property and the bill is in their name they wont be the owner of the house !

[C. Flower]

According to the Sunday Business Post, the property tax will be collected by the Revenue.

[PaddyJoe]

According to the Sunday Business Post, the property tax will be collected by the Revenue.

Meaning that it can be taken from PAYE taxpayers directly if the headline is correct?

[C. Flower]

Meaning that it can be taken from PAYE taxpayers directly if the headline is correct?

Yes, from those who pay Paye.

[PaddyJoe]

Yes, from those who pay Paye.

How would that work in practice? I remember there was legislation promised to take court fines from wage packets. Surely new legislation would be needed for the Revenue to take household charge payments directly like that?

[C. Flower]

How would that work in practice? I remember there was legislation promised to take court fines from wage packets. Surely new legislation would be needed for the Revenue to take household charge payments directly like that?

The Government has a very large majority.

In Greece, they have added taxes to peoples' ESB bills.

[C. Flower]

As I understand it, the rationale for resisting paying the Household Charge is partly that it is possible to withhold it (unlike other taxes) and partly that it is the thin end of the wedge for privatisation.

The first reason will be easily overcome by Government if they decide to attach the charge to PAYE.

I think that privatisation of water and other public services should be opposed by all means possible. An exclusive campaign on water leaves out electricity, Coillte and everything else. In the meantime, there is creeping privatisation everywhere you look, by contracting work out. I see that the NLI now has a private security firm manning its front desk, for example. Was this not agreed as part of Croke Park, on the recommendation of our "Union leaders" ?

Rubbish collection in Dublin has been privatised in spite of the SP's "successful campaign" against rubbish charges, in which people went to jail and racked up big debts.

I think a rethink is needed by the campaign, and by the SP and ULA, on how to oppose privatisation and how to defend living standards.

[bolshevik]

The CAHWT conference passed a motion that the campaign would now be against all austerity. This should lead to a big discussion about what that means. Are you part of your local CAHWT group, and thereby able to be part of that discussion?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[C. Flower]

The CAHWT conference passed a motion that the campaign would now be against all austerity. This should lead to a big discussion about what that means. Are you part of your local CAHWT group, and thereby able to be part of that discussion?

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Is there a report on the conference anywhere ?

Jolly Red Giant here has posted that the campaign has not been refocused and is still mainly about the Household and Water charges.

I have got stuck into the discussion at every opportunity, and will continue to do so.

[bolshevik]

There is no report on the conference that I am aware of nd even the draft minutes I have seen is just a record of the votes on each motion.

I did do a report of my impressions for the Cobh local group which I was thinking of posting on my blog - though it is much more impressions than a report as such.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[C. Flower]

There is no report on the conference that I am aware of nd even the draft minutes I have seen is just a record of the votes on each motion.

I did do a report of my impressions for the Cobh local group which I was thinking of posting on my blog - though it is much more impressions than a report as such.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

Well, a record of votes would be informative. It would tell what had been agreed.

I'm a bit confused now about the nature of the campaign.

[bolshevik]

The official list of motions passed and motions referred back to the national steering committee has just come out. I'll put the docs up on my blog and post a link shortly but the motion I was referring to is:

23. Motion on Austerity Proposed by Deirdre Wadding Rosslare Harbour Co. Wexford
….passed 111 for 81 against

We call for the CAHWT to expand into a wider Anti-Austerity Campaign and to draft a charter of objectives as such. We believe this is essential to continue the work we have started and to deal with further oppressive austerity measures which will doubtless present themselves whether or not we achieve the abolition of the Household Charges.


I was one of the 81 who voted against this. I think that a general wider Anti-Austerity Campaign that has a "charter of objectives" is moving into the territory of a political party and that the discussion about such a "charter of objectives" is a recipe for destroying one of the central strengths of the campaign which is its broad-based basis including people from across the political spectrum.

[bolshevik]

My report of the conference given to the Cobh local group is now on my blog, along with a link to the motions passed and motions referred back to the national steering committee - revolutionaryprogramme.wordpress.com/2012/06/14/report-on-the-cahwt-national-conference-19-may/