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Half of Irish homeowners join boycott on $131 tax

Government say they will crack down on those who refuse to pay

DARA KELLY,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 8:04 AM

Updated Wednesday, April 4, 2012, 8:23 AM

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From left, Luke Flanagan TD, Joe Higgins TD, Joan Collins TD, Cllr Ruth Coppinger, Richard Boyd-Barrett TD, Clare Daly TD, Seamus Healy TD and Pat Waine.

Photo by Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

An estimated 50 percent of Irish homeowners failed to pay a new flat rate $131 (€100) property tax by the March 31 deadline.

As of 1st January 2012, most owners of residential property in Ireland were liable for the household charge on each residential property they own.

“It is quite clear a mass boycott has really sent this government a significant message it didn’t want to hear,” Luke Flanagan, an independent TD, told the New York Times.

“When we started this campaign, even 25 percent support translating to several hundred thousand would have been phenomenal, but we estimate over a million people eligible to pay this tax have refused.”

“I don’t care if 99.9 percent of people end up paying it,” Mr. Flanagan said. “I won’t be paying it and there are plenty like me,” he added.

The Irish government has vowed to identify and penalize those who have refused to pay.

“We will begin with sending out letters and then escalate it from there to the maximum fine of 2,500 euros” ($3,330),” a spokesman for the Department of Environment told the NY Times.

“We will be taking people to court if necessary, and if there is refusal to pay, then that could be seen by a judge as contempt of court.”

Last weekend, Irish police ordered Fine Gael to stop “riling protesters” during the party’s Ard Fheis when thousands of opponents of the tax descended on the annual meeting at National Convention Centre in Dublin.

Justice Minister Alan Shatter angered protesters on Friday night when he suggested they should “get a life”.

"This is the lowest property charge you will find anywhere in Europe." Shatter said.

"...I think Sinn Fein and the promise protestors should just get a life'

Commenting on Irish homeowners’ refusal to pay the new levy, Communications minister Pat Rabbitte said it was their way of kicking back.

"My own view is that after four years of cutbacks and very painful decisions for people, I think they probably seized on the Household Charge as their opportunity to kick back, and I think a lot of people have done that,” he told the Irish Examiner.

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36 Comments

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Towngate | Aug 03, 2012, 10:29 AM EDT

The government should not bother with those who will not pay this charge which is a condition of being lent the Bailout funds which are keeping the place afloat. If the non-payers don't 'get it', then the Government should stop all and any payments to the household from public funds! (The Household charge is LESS than Child benefit for ONE child for ONE WEEK!)

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billie061 | May 04, 2012, 08:21 PM EDT

I haven't paid and won't reason the fat cats and our useless goverments brought the country to its knees. How many of the fat cats have been made pay ? Sean Quinn stood in court this week with his crocidile tears, but when my house burnt down 3 years ago his co who I had my ins with put me tru hell.

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allan07 | Apr 08, 2012, 04:47 AM EDT

@sirpeter lets put your bigotary name calling aside and look at the figures. The Republic of Ireland has had to borrow 86 billion recently to keep it afloat. Britian, Denmark and Sweden have also had bilateral loans. The population of the ROI is 3.5 million. Thats men, women and children. 86 bilion Euros = 86,000,000,000 divided by 3,500,000 = 24,571 Euros borrowed for every man, womwn and child in the country. Its frightening but it will not last. So a family with 2 adults and 2 children have in effect borrowed 100,000 Euros. This cannot go on. @joan1954 well what happened the ROI has had £150 billion in grants from when it joined the EU. This money was used to artifically reduce taxation income from the people and companies. Some international companies such as Dell Computers were encouraged to move to the ROI because of the lower taxes. Others followed. So when the property market went down 40-60% the banks could not recover their loans. These loans were out like sweets to children at a party a few ago. A house in Dublin recently was out on the market for 700,000 Euros when 2 years ago it cost 4.75 million Euros. The banks had to refinanced and with a artifically low tax regime a huge hole in their finances existed. How could their government bail out their banks when they did not have any money. By borrowing from the EU/IMF, US, Britain, Sweden, Denmark, Luxenmbourg, by robbing the pension funds of its own citizens, etc. Soundrels and thiefs. I wouldnt trust that lot with my childrens pocket money. Now the nationalists like sirpeter live in a world of denial. A bit like the Third Reich after World War 2 they denied the holocaust to the jews race.

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allan07 | Apr 07, 2012, 12:49 PM EDT

@sirpeter was the other 6 countries in the OCED survey, Albania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Sierra Leone and Eritrea by any chance? Ireland has had recent loans from Sweden, Luxembourg and £6 billion from Britian. Then theres 86 billion Euros from EU/IMF. Your skint and just to deep of a nationalist to accept that the Republic of Ireland are living of the means of everyone else. All the Republics banks are now state owned. ALL thats 100%. When the Greeks default on their repayments the free staters will be unable to borrow more. Interest rates for new loans will be 7% plus. The Celtic tiger has passed away. Get real. Why should our VAT in Northern Ireland be increased from 17.5% to 20% to bail out you free staters? The gravy train has hit the buffers for the free state. Time to call the baliffs i fear.

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sirpeter | Apr 06, 2012, 10:17 PM EDT

allan07.Did you get a bang on the head from rioting or what?Quote"They always believe in state intervention for everything"Unquote.Reality check.In total,the British government subvention totals £5,000m,or 20% of Northern Ireland's economic output.Ye are the pride of the UK LOL.In the industry statistics just provided by the Central Bank it reports that as of end of November 2011, the NAV of Irish domiciled investment funds was €1,008 Billion. The Industry enters 2012 as a trillion Euro Industry, a remarkable achievement..Broke my a*ss.Ireland still ranks second in terms of wealth per capita in a survey of eight leading OECD countries.Bank of Ireland Private Banking Limited expect net assets to increase to €1,166 billion by 2015.Another Billy Boy with a wild imagination.

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allan07 | Apr 06, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

@joan1954 a great passage and well constructed. My bet is Ireland will do nothing, carry on as usual and when a financial meltdown happens do know what they will do? Blame everyone else. The USA, Britain, Luxembourg, European Union states, everyone and anyone except themselves. Why after 90 years of independence have they not got an economy to provide for their own needs. The truthful answer is because their governments are useless. What good does the president of Ireland do? What purpose does he serve? If he gets 2 dollars per annum it 2 dollars 2 much.

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allan07 | Apr 06, 2012, 05:35 PM EDT

@joan1954 you realize like me that Ireland has been living on the proceeds of others for years. European grants will come to an sticky end when poorer countries join the European Union. Ireland has failed its people for generations. 90 years of independence and still the Irish blame Britain for its own failed governments. They should stop looking for a scapegoat and get real. The whole of the Republics political parties are left wing. FF/FG/Greens/SF/Labour. They always believe in state intervention for everything. So whoever they put in government its the same old same old failed policies. Thank god we in Northern Ireland have nothing to do with them. When the Greeks default on their repayments this year or early next, the Republic of Ireland will be tested on the financial markets. Lets see what interest rate they will be made to borrow at just to stay afloat. 7%, 8%. In other words its going to be a financial meltdown. Watch this space its going to be disaster. As sure as eggs are eggs.

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aoibhinn | Apr 06, 2012, 01:15 PM EDT

jacersagain, ah if only they'd asked us for ideas! I'll bet I could walk into any government office and, in a day or two, be able to cut several thousands from that office's budget without it being missed. The argument against paying the Household Charge is not whether people can afford it, or whether we SHOULD pay it, we are at the top of a slippery slope. They may be starting with a small amount, but will see it as a way to top up their piggy banks in every increasing amounts. It has been like a third rail because it reminded people of having to pay English landlords to live on their own land! I do not have a TV because I refuse to fund the egotistical, incestous, overpaid personalities of RTE by paying a TV license. But this is people's homes, that unlike in the U.S. are passed on from generation to generation, so people will be quite stuck and will have no choice if we start this. The banks should have been let go down the drain and their management put in jail, not given their big bonuses which are supposed to be based on performance. If only all Irish businesses could be bailed out if they failed! Wouldn't that be great! People are hurting and angry that those at the top don't seem to be affected, don't seem to realize it, or don't care.

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joan1954 | Apr 06, 2012, 10:58 AM EDT

This whole issue amazes me. Here in the US we pay property taxes, water and refuse taxes, school district taxes to our local government to take care of our needs so as not to be so dependent on state coffers. I have always wondered why there in no local taxation structure in place for cities and counties in Ireland that would not be subject to Dublin's whims. Not knowing the full story as to the rejection of the 131 euro, I question the motive but there will come a time in the not too distant future that Ireland will lose out on the euro entitlements it has been receiving for years in favor of the newly emerging countries of Eastern Europe. It does need to be proactive people before there is another meltdown. And it will come!!!! If the people of Ireland don't want to deal with it then return to the punt and withdraw from the eurozone as Ireland's heady days which gave birth to the Celtic Tiger are gone.

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allan07 | Apr 06, 2012, 05:16 AM EDT

@Irelandnorth correction "95% of the protestant population today have NEVER grown a potato or even a bean". It was obvious to everyone the economic meltdown would happen when property in Dublin became the most expensive in Europe. Why? It has no industry, its not a banking centre, its heavily dependant on Euro grants. etc. For every Euro it puts into the EU it gets back 7. This will change in any event as poor countries like Estonia, Romania and Albania join the EU. European grants will be diverted there. Ireland will suffer as a result. The Euro experiment will probably fail big time before the end of next year when Greece defaults on their loan repayments. The Republic of Ireland will follow.

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allan07 | Apr 06, 2012, 05:02 AM EDT

@Irelandnorth let's get the events of history correct. The planters as you describe the protestant people is insulting. You make reference to the Plantations of Ulster in 1600 and shortly afterwards. Not all the protestant people whom emigrated from Scotland/North England were farmers or planters at that time. Going back over 400 years ago is silly. At that time life was very primitive. Before electricity, tractors, computers, flight, machinery, etc. Most of the population lived of the land. Everywhere. The numbers who moved to Ireland at that time were small. They became land tenants having to pay rent to the landowner and tithes to the church. Obviously it was no great comfortable lifestyle. In most cases a man and woman would get a few cowes, pigs and farm animals. Self sufficient to a degree by slaughting their own animals, curing their own meat, etc. Nothing was for nothing. Rent was paid to the landowner/their own church. Women worked in the fields just like men. Flax was a popular crop and this involved working this to produce clothes. The woman were seamstress's, knitting the wool to provide clothes for the family. Clothes were repaired by darning and patching. Hardly a great quality of life. Obviously the number of protestants grew with each passing generation. Your view that the protestant population just invaded one day is false. After the 1707 Act of Union between Scotland and England more protestants moved to Ireland. Land was cheaper, some didnt accept the union between Scotland/England, etc. This is history but dont describe the protestant people as planters. 95% of the protestant people today have grown a potato or even a bean. In any event bringing Northern Ireland into the failed economics of the Republic is not going to solve their problems. The Republic of Ireland has failed economically and if you were honest you would say so. But I guess you will just put your head in the sand and say otherwise.

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allan07 | Apr 06, 2012, 04:35 AM EDT

@Bythnebay what I object to is the people here in Northern Ireland paying taxes to bail out the free state. The Republic of Ireland has been an absolute failure. 90 years of independence and still they cannot support themselves. It banks are bust, its offical Church are up to the eyes in sexual scandal and having to pay compensation to the victims, the state police the garda are currently involved in a tribunal "the smithwick investigation" into collusion with the IRA and the passing on of documents about citizens here in Northern Ireland, the former PM Berite Ahern has been found guilty of taking bribes when in office, the countries finances are all over the place, every school leaver is leaving the country for Australia, US or Britain (the great enemy), government employees have had to accept 40% pay cuts, etc, etc. Need I go on. The Celtic tiger has been slained but some Republicians just dont get it. These people are fools. What is the ROI government ask to youth unemployment lets get some US politicians to force through Visa E2 rights in the US to allow more Irish to go there. They haven't got a clue. It impossible for these republicians to move from bombs to budgets or from timers to taxes. They just dont understand. A group of left wing parties. SF/FF/FG/Labour/Greens. Blind people all shoutig this way everyone. As one Dubliner said to me recently "Follow me sir i am right behind you". It makes you laugh.

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KevinKehoe | Apr 05, 2012, 05:27 PM EDT

piece of the action.When Lehmann’s went bust and the sh--hit-the-fan Anglo soon followed, Anglo’s financial records are a mess and totally corrupt. The big difference is the corrupt Irish government agreed to guarantee the crooked private depths of Anglo and other banks. As far as I’m aware this is the only time in History that a sovereign government place a blanket guarantee on banks private depth and laid that burden on its sovereign people and mainly to try and protect the Mafia who were bribing them, refer to note on Capitalism above.

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KevinKehoe | Apr 05, 2012, 05:25 PM EDT

Part 2b.Taking just one bank in Ireland, ‘Anglo Irish’, a private bank just like ‘Lehmann Brother’s’. As the Irish people now know to there sorrow, it was run by a bunch of crooks backed up by even more crooked politicians with a golden circle of 20 to 30 high-flyers in Irelands establishment society. These greedy b------s wanted to own Ireland and a slice of the rest of the world. They borrowed upwards of 35 billion through Anglo Irish Bank for high risk investments and you will never guess who lent Anglo the billion’s in this high risk business, well only the Banks in the USA , UK & Europe who all wanted a piece of the action.

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ciaradexy | Apr 05, 2012, 04:51 PM EDT

Bythebay, youre not Irish. I know this because you refer to the Irish as 'the Irish' or 'you lot' so thats pretty self explanatory. We pay stamp duty, thats a property tax. I am not paying anymore money to funded failed gamblers. I lost money in Vegas. I didnt get to go back to the cashiers desk for a refund and I certainly didnt expect the cashier to take money from the rest of the people in the hotel to fund my loss. We pay enough.

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