The Can’t Pay Won’t Pay group has called on Sinn Fein County Councillors and TDs to support a boycott of the Property Tax after the Council voted in favour of a Sinn Fein motion calling for a repeal of the tax.
“If Sinn Fein is genuinely opposing the Property Tax, they will support the boycott campaign as the only effective way to stop this unfair tax” said Can’t Pay Won’t Pay spokesperson Micheál Cholm Mac Giolla Easbuig.
“We are now challenging Sinn Fein’s TDs and Councillors to state whether or not they will pay the Property Tax themselves. After all Pearse Doherty and Padraig Mac Lochlainn had no difficulty in stating publicly that they would not pay Household Charge. Why the silence on the Property Tax?”
“The feedback we get from Sinn Fein supporters is that they overwhelmingly back the boycott campaign. Indeed some of our best activists are members of Sinn Fein, but unfortunately the leadership of the party and it’s public representatives continue to disappoint them by refusing to support our campaign.”
“Putting forward a motion in the Dail to repeal the tax, as Sinn Fein is planning, is doomed to to fail given the government’s huge majority. The real opposition to the government’s austerity agenda has come from the 600,000 across the state who refused to pay the Household Charge and from the people who will now refuse to pay Property Tax. The Sinn Fein leadership should support this magnificent movement instead of playing political games in the Dail.”
“If they were prepared to do that it would give an enormous boost to the campaign. Many people who would like to join the boycott but are fearful of the consequences would gain the confidence not to pay as they had the outright support of half of all Donegal TD’s. They could deal a body blow to the Property Tax in Donegal which would be noticed across the state as it is already acknowledged that our county leads the way in terms of non-compliance of Household Tax and Septic Tank registration.”
“We ask members and supporters of Sinn Fein to use whatever influence they have to get their party to change it’s stance and to finally back the boycott.”