Campaigners say deduction at source of property tax ‘unworkable’
Campaigners against the household and property tax have said that any attempt by government to deduct the household tax or the new property tax at source from PAYE workers is “unworkable as long as people continue to refuse to register”.
“The reason why the government wanted householders to register for this tax was because they don’t have a central database and don’t know who to levy it on,” said Gregor Kerr, spokesperson for the Campaign Against Household And Water Taxes (CAHWT). “With 50% of households refusing to register, that remains the case. They don’t know who to levy the tax on so they don’t know who to deduct it from. People have nothing to fear from these latest reports and should hold firm in their determination to boycott this tax and force its abolition.”
“The fact that the government has been forced to talk about deducting the property tax at source is a testament to the strength of the campaign of opposition and boycott,” Mr. Kerr continued. “The Campaign exists in every county inIrelandand the boycott campaign has been and remains extremely strong so it’s no wonder that the government are casting about for ways to attempt to break the boycott.”
“Indeed if an attempt is made to deduct the household/property tax at source, it will make a mockery of the government’s claims that they are not going to increase income tax and prove the correctness of the Campaign’s position that this tax is not about widening the tax base but about making ordinary people pay the gambling debts of bankers and developers while the wealthy continue to escape scot free,” concluded Mr. Kerr.
The CAHWT is planning a series of local protests across the country during the last week of June and a national protest march to the Dáil on the evening of Wednesday 18th July. Further details of both will be announced nearer the time.