Howlin: people cannot refuse to pay water charges if able to do so

Minister for Public Expenditure Brendan Howlin has said the Government will introduce a mechanism to ensure people who comply with water charges are not disadvantaged because others refuse to pay.

Speaking on his way into Government, he said people could not be allowed to refuse to pay if they were in a position to do so.

“There can’t be a position where any of us decide not to pay our bills,” he said.

“If you come to a supermarket check out and say, ‘No, not paying the bill’ and walk off, that’s not the way the system works.”

The Government had made remarkable efforts to modify the charges system for people who were at the “end of their tether,” he said.

“In principle we have to have a mechanism to ensure that people who are compliant, the vast majority of people who pay their way in this country, are not in anyway disadvantaged over people who’ve come to the conclusion there are things they don’t have to pay for.”

Irish Water will be able to deduct water bills directly from wages and welfare payments under strengthened compliance measures being considered by the Government.

The introduction of attachment orders to increase compliance with water charges marks a step change in the Coalition’s approach to those who do not pay their water bills.

While sources said the proposals have yet to be finalised, attachment orders on wages and welfare payments are seen as likely to be included in new measures to be published by Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly.

Irish Water would have to have to get a court order to deduct unpaid bills at source.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said on Tuesday morning Minister Kelly would bring his proposals to Cabinet shortly.

He said he would prefer not to comment until he saw the proposals.

Socialist TD Paul Murphy said the protest on Saturday showed the Government’s “carrot and sticks” strategy does not work.

“The baby carrot is gone. There are no more carrots to use. It’s going to be all big stick,” he said.

“We now have a big stick being wheeled out in an attempt to intimidate people into paying. I think people will react against that kind of bullying behaviour.

“We don’t know how Minister Kelly or anyone else is going to draw distinction between those that can’t pay and won’t pay.”

At a Anti-Austerity Alliance (AAA) press conference on Tuesday, Socialist TD Paul Murphy said Minister Kelly’s actions were writing the Labour party’s “death warrant”.

Mr Murphy said the water charge was not about investment but privatisation.

“Here you have people being hammered after six years of austerity, people can’t take anymore and they are correct to say we’re going to fight on this issue and protest in massive numbers when the Government refused to listen...mass non-payment.”

Mr Murphy told RTÉ radio an alternative way to raise money for the country's water needs would be financial transaction tax, which he claimed would raise €500 million.

Mr Murphy said the party would present a private members motion to the Dail calling for water charges to be scrapped and Irish Water on Tuesday at 7.30pm.

“”Our motion also calls for a massive non-payment campaign in the coming months. If a significant section of people refuse to pay the bills when they land in April and May, the charges will be a sitting duck,” he said.

AAA TD Ruth Coppinger said no court cases or deductions could take place until 2016, after the general election.

“On the eve of the bills being issued and following a massive protest against the water charges, the government is trying to create the impression that they can somehow deduct the water charges at source from wages or revenue. This is false bluster,” she said.

“The money cannot be taken from people’s wages or welfare without a major piece of legislation.

“This threat from the government will see protests escalate and will make people more staunch in their commitment to the boycott.”

Ms Coppinger said the next protest would be on April 18th outside the Dail where people where encouraged to bin their bill.

The party expected the protests and activism would reach high point in April and May.