ACTIVISTS on water charges and other issues have formed the Taxation Justice Alliance to field at least seven candidates in the general election. These include Mr Joe Higgins, who came close to winning a by election seat.
Introduced at a press conference in Dublin yesterday, the alliance was described as a "major challenge" to the "establishment political parties" on the taxation issue.
The aim of the campaign is to secure the abolition of service charges and "a massive and irreversible shift" in the balance of general taxation towards "justice for the PAYE sector".
Mr Seamus Healy, a member of South Tipperary County Council and Clonmel Corporation, said the TJA was not seeking to reduce the general level of taxation but to redistribute the burden.
They wanted the repeal of the 1983 legislation introduced by Mr Spring, as minister for the environment, authorising service charges. Having increased general taxes in place of rates, successive governments had proceeded to tax householders a second time in the form of service charges.
The TJA was warning that its supporters would resist any new form of double taxation, such as increased road tax, with the same determination that they were opposing service charges.
The second pillar of the TJA's campaign was for a major increase in the PAYE allowance. This had remained at £800 since 1988 and the TJA was seeking to have it increased to £4,000 per annum, standard rated at 25p in the pound.
The candidates endorsed so far by the TJA are: Mr Paddy Mulcahy (Cork North Centra Mr Gerry Corbett (Galway West), Mr Seamus Healy (Tipperary South); Mr Joe Higgins (Dublin West); Ms Clare Daly (Dublin North); Mr Owen Poole (Dublin North-East); Mr Mick Murphy (Dublin South-West).