Sir, – It was with incredulity that I read Anthony G Keane’s letter (January 13th) regarding charges being made against those who make legitimate use of the fire service in the greater Dublin area.
The Government has recently implemented a household charge to cover, among other things, fire services. This has been pasted all over the newspapers over the past weeks and has drawn much controversy.
The fact that this charge was coming and what it would cover was signalled well in advance. Furthermore, this charge will increase as it is transformed into a property tax in the coming years.
So, am I right in assuming that Dublin City Council and the other councils of the capital will expect people to pay, via the household charge/property tax, to have a fire service in existence and then have to pay again when they are in the unfortunate position of having to use it? This is ludicrous. I would call on Minister for the Environment Phil Hogan to intervene and address this issue. It is he who was the front man in justifying the household charge and what it was meant to cover, so I would suggest it is he who should defend its existence and have these charges dropped. – Yours, etc,