The public meeting by campaigners against Septic Tank, Water, and Household Tax charges, held in Hayes Hotel, Liberty Square, Thurles, on Friday last, February 10th, adequately demonstrated the outrage felt by rural dwellers with regard to this controversial and discriminatory tax, with well over 200 in attendance.
Local elected politicians supporting the tax were more than conspicuous by their very absence, as speakers from the floor, which included members of Thurles Chamber, elderly residents and parents of young families with mortgages, vocally condemning the proposed charges, as discriminatory, anti rural Ireland and totally unacceptable.
Their worst fears expressed on Friday night were further supported today with figures, released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), which revealed that more than half of households have reduced spending on groceries and two-thirds are purchasing less clothing and footwear.
According to these new figures, one in ten households has borrowed money from friends or family to pay for basic services during the recession, and one fifth of Irish residents have delayed or missed paying a bill over the last two years. Nearly half have spent all or some of their savings. This Quarterly National Household Survey also found that spending on health insurance and pension contributions has also been cut by more than 10%.
In this survey, one member of each household was asked if they had to cut back on spending on several categories of goods or services as a result of the economic climate in Ireland. E.g. mortgage payments, utility bills, groceries, clothing and footwear, holidays, nights out, and extra tutorials for children’s education.
The survey concluded that 79% of households had cut back their spending on at least one of the above, including one in ten delaying or missing a loan repayment: 10% missing paying their credit card bill; one in five reducing club membership spending; 10% cutting back on tutorials for children; and holidays abroad cut back by just under half of all households questioned.
This survey was conducted last year, wonder what it reads like this year?
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