DONEGAL Action Against Austerity says it’s refusing to give up on its campaign against the home tax – despite the powers of the Revenue to collect it.
”People in Donegal understand too well what more austerity and taxes will mean for them ,it will mean no improvement in employment in the county and even more emigration from Donegal,” said Joe Murphy today.
“Five years of austerity have hammered ordinary people. No more. The Government must be stopped in their tracks on this one. These robbers are planning to deduct the tax straight from wages,social welfare, pensions or farm payments if you refuse to sign up for it.
“It is a new income tax and a new social welfare cut all rolled into one! And for what?” he asked.
He insisted “the fight can be won” and called on people to refuse to register for the tax.
“Ignore the Revenue correspondence. Ignore the registration deadlines in May. Even if they threaten to double your property tax for refusing to register people should still boycott,” said Murphy.
“Last year they threatened court cases and 2500 euro fines for the 662,000 households who boycotted the household charge. But they couldn’t implement the penalties because the opposition was so large.
“A massive boycott of the property tax forms will put the Government under real pressure. However, a boycott on its own is not enough because the Government have given the Revenue the power to deduct the tax from wages and social welfare on July 1st.This means that the Government must be forced back – either on the property tax or on the threat to deduct. How can this be done? Only by a massive protest movement.
“This means huge numbers on the street,it means political pressure, it means civil disobedience, it means industrial action. In this way a blow can be struck against the property tax,against the plan to introduce a water tax and against the entire austerity agenda.Such a movement will have to be built in communities and workplaces across the country. Thousands of volunteers are needed. Join the Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes today and join Donegal Action Against Austerity.”