The management of South Dublin County Council was last night accused of "playing piano" with figures for the number of people who have paid their refuse charges in recent years.
Socialist councillor and anti-waste charge campaigner Mr Mick Murphy told the council's annual estimates meeting that successive managers had exaggerated the numbers paying the charge and having their waste collected.
The council had claimed 90 per cent success with what he called the bin tax. He insisted that estimates laid before the council as part of the adoption of the €430 million budget for the coming year demonstrated "that managers of this council have always been playing piano with the figures".
But the council's director of environmental services, Mr Tom Doherty, said Mr Murphy was confusing the waste generated and collected in the area with the number of households compliant with the charging system.
"We never said that 90 per cent of the waste was collected but that 90 per cent of the households were compliant that year. It is not the same thing," he said.
The dispute was one of the few heated aspects of the meeting which reconvenes on December 16th.
The manager's budget is being supported by the majority grouping on the council.
