Sir, - After doing your level best over the years to ignore the widespread opposition to service charges, your editorial ("Paying For Water", April 13th) was, I feel, quite dishonest in its conclusion that the solution lies in a national service charge. Just like the politicians whom you chide for fudging, you are refusing to face up to the issues involved.
Those in the PAYE sector oppose water charges because they have already paid for such services in their taxes and have no intention of paying a second time. The solution to this problem and "paying for water" lies in the equitable reform of the tax system, which is the central demand of people opposing services charges.
You wonder where the £500 million will come from to be invested in the Dublin water system. Might I remind you that an Irish government in the last couple of years wrote off that very same amount in a tax amnesty for the super rich tax evaders? Or might I recall the Comptroller and Auditor General's report for 1994-95, that £1,500 million remain outstanding in unpaid taxes?
It is high time the Government began using the resources of the state to get this money, instead of turning off the water supplies to the homes of honest PAYE workers. It is worth noting that a company used to disconnect the domestic water supply to our home in September 1991 had a judgement registered against it in March 1992 for the non payment of £35,000 to the Revenue Commissioners!
The Government can bring in water meters, or indeed a national service charge, as you propose, but people still won't pay twice. And if the local authorities begin water disconnections, then those homes will be reconnected. These acts of civil resistance have happened throughout the country before and, if need be, will happen again.
Joe Higgins's outstanding success in Dublin West showed what the electorate thinks of the arrogance of Messrs, Howlin, Spring, Quinn, Higgins and de Rossa since they found themselves at the Cabinet table. It is time they fulfilled their election promise to abolish service charges and reform the tax system. Yours, etc.,
MacBride Avenue,
Mervue,
Co Galway.