Sinn Féin hold protest at "obscene bail-out" and family taxes

Sinn Féin in the county held a protest over the weekend distributing cards for members of the public to sign and give to local Fine Gael and Labour politicians calling on them not to hand over one and one quarter billion euro to bail out Anglo Irish Bank this Wednesday.

Spokesperson for North Wexford Sinn Féin, Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin said : "It is absolutely obscene that over the coming weeks this government will hand over 3.1 billion euro of our money to bail out a private, toxic bank which is now defunct and is not even covered under the terms of governments bank guarantees. They plan to give this amount every year for the next ten years! To fund this obscenity Wexford's Fine Gael and Labour politicians and their colleagues plan to slash funding for education and health and close some small country schools and nursing homes. Funding will also come through the imposition of further punitive family taxes such as the household, water and septic tank charges among many stealth taxes. We must let them know in no uncertain terms that they are not doing it in our name."

Meanwhile Sinn Féin are campaigning countywide to stop the household, water and septic tank charges. Sinn Féin's Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin responding to comments on the issue from local Fine Gael senator, Michael D'Arcy said:
"Local Fine Gael Senator Michael D'Arcy who supports the household charges has said that the government are "forced to go down this road".

No, they are not.They could follow Sinn Fein’s proposal to introduce a progressive tax regime which links tax levels to ability to pay. The Household charge doesn’t do this. It ill-conceived and inequitable and will place unimaginable hardship on many families who are already struggling financially.It is completely unfair as it is a flax tax. How can a flat rate tax on every household, which will see the owners (perhaps unemployed) of a two bedroom semi paying the same as a millionaire owner of a mansion, be regarded as fair?

The Fine Gael Senator has downplayed the charge comparing it to "a T.V. license fee" and a local Labour councillor as to paying for "Sky Sports". The harsh reality is that when you add it to proposed water taxes, septic tank charges, the universal social charge and several other new levies it amounts to a lot. And there is every possibility that once householders are registered the tax will sharply increase over coming years.
The government has done a complete u-turn on its pre-election promises.

“Sinn Féin has been consistent in its opposition to the Household Charge and in the coming weeks and months we will be holding public meetings across County Wexford to inform and organise an effective grassroots campaign. Our elected reps will continue to bring motions before their councils calling for a reversal of the tax and we will go on picketing the offices of government politicians in the county. A Sinn Féin motion calling for the immediate reversal of the controversial Household Charge was defeated at a recent meeting of Wexford Borough Council with Fine Gael, Labour and also Fianna Fáil refusing to support it."