THE UNITED Left Alliance (ULA) has promised a “mass campaign of civil disobedience” in the form of non-payment of the planned €100 household charge.
The Government plans to apply the levy to households for a temporary two-year period from January of next year before implementing a full property tax in 2014.
Socialist Party TD Clare Daly said the charge was “beyond the means” of householders.
“All of us as TDs pledge to be at the forefront of a non-payment campaign, a mass campaign of civil disobedience where we intend to make this charge uncollectable.
“We want to use this opportunity to let the Government know that their declaration of war on communities and householders all over this country, with their intention to bring in a household utility charge as a first step to a property tax and water charge, will be strenuously resisted by those of us in the United Left Alliance.”
People Before Profit alliance deputy Richard Boyd-Barrett said the ULA would help build a “mass movement of resistance and people power opposed to these unjust economically stupid austerity measures that this Government is trying to ram down our throats”.
Socialist Party leader Joe Higgins predicted that hundreds of thousands of people would refuse to pay the annual flat-rate tariff.
Meanwhile, Mr Higgins said he did not accept the view that one of the Government parties would win the upcoming Dublin West byelection. The contest was “wide open”, he said.
Ruth Coppinger is contesting for the Socialist Party.
