Galway anti-household charge campaigner to join in Dublin rally

THE Galway campaign against the household charge is organising a number of buses to transport Galway householders to Dublin for the anti-household charge campaign national assembly. The event will take place in the 2,000-seater National Stadium on Dublin's South Circular Road and will provide an opportunity for householders from all over the country to stand together and plan the next steps of the campaign. [private] Prominent speakers, including a number of high-profile opposition TDs, will speak at the event, and there will be an opportunity for participation from the floor, as well as for local groups and individuals to meet. Galway householders who wish to learn the facts about non-payment, or those who wish to build the campaign against the household charge, are urged to attend. To book your seat on a bus call Conor Burke on 086-1729599. A return fare will cost €10 and buses will leave from the Cathedral in Galway. Buses may stop at other towns on the route, according to demand. The national assembly in Dublin follows a round of hugely successful public meetings around the country, including a number of local city and county meetings in Galway. Speaking ahead of the assembly, local campaigner Liam O'Grady explained the need for a high-profile national event. 'We are hearing more and more lies and spin from a desperate Government. Phil Hogan is on the back foot, and the coalition are using every trick in the book to bully and trick people into paying this charge. 'There is no basis in law for monies to be taken from wages, welfare payments or pensions, none whatsoever, and to say otherwise is a lie. The threat of court appearances and fines is being bandied about by a Government that is running scared. The truth is, that the task of identifying, let alone processing, those who don't pay is so huge as to make it impractical. The sheer volume of householders who won't pay will mean that it will take years before this task can be completed. There will be public uproar if the Government does attempt to make an example of any householder, and the campaign commits to supporting anyone who is issued a summons. 'The best way we can counteract the lies and innuendo is to hold a large, well-attended, angry and confident public rally, and I would urge everyone who can to make it to Dublin this Saturday.' Conor Burke of the Galway City campaign against the household charge put the charge in context and explained why opposition to it continues to grow: 'this charge is unfair and it is unworkable. It is unfair not only because it charges the same €100 of everyone, but because it taxes people's homes. A true property tax should only tax properties that can turn a profit, such as commercial buildings, speculative land etc. 'We know that this charge will increase next year. We know this because it is in the Memorandum signed between the last Government and the EU/ECB/IMF, it is also in the 2011 Programme for Government. If we don't nip this charge in the bud by refusing to pay it now, we will face a combined water and property tax of €1,300 by 2014 at the latest. 'This campaign gives us an opportunity to say that enough is enough, and that we will not have the homes we live in taxed in order to pay the gambling debts of the super-rich.' The series of local meetings will continue throughout Galway in the lead up to the March 31 deadline, with a campaign meeting taking place in Johnny Walsh's in Gort this Thursday at 8pm. [/private]