Local government funding cuts rejected

Wednesday, 15th August 2012

The Waterford Campaign against Household and Water Tax rejects cuts in the Local Government Fund allocations, to County and City Councils. Despite Minister Phil Hogan claims about a connection between the household tax and council cuts, the opposite is the case. The government cut €170 million from local councils in the last Budget. That was bailout money. Now he tries to blame more than a million people taking a stand against unjust taxation.

The government strategy is to starve councils of cash and get them to make up the shortfall. Local Authority areas with the lowest incomes and the highest unemployment — the very areas that rely more on Council services — will be punished most.

These cuts will severely affect people. Services such as housing maintenance, parks, libraries, football facilities, Road maintainance, Water and Waste, Public Toilets etc, will be curtailed or withdrawn. The CAHWT calls on local councillors in the County and City not to allow these services that local people depend on to be dismantled, or shut down in order to divert money into the Anglo Irish Bank black hole.

The Campaign against Household and Water Taxes will mobilize with others to resist these attacks on local services.