Boycott the Unfair Household Tax

The Labour/Fine Gael Government are determined to make YOU pay for the financial crisis caused by corrupt and

greedy bankers, politicians and developers. The new Household Tax is just the beginning. The initial €100 will quickly

become €1000, with all the resulting revenue going to pay the

EU/IMF debts which are not ours. Water charges and a so-called

property tax will soon follow.

The strength of public opposition to the new stealth tax of the

Household Charge has frightened the Government. Their

scaremongering threats to take the charges out of people's

wages or social welfare or to impose huge fines is an indication

of the pressure the Government is under. Within a week of our

Campaign against Household and Water Tax being launched,

the Government was forced to admit that a property tax to be

introduced next year would in fact be between €560 and €1300

on most homes. So much for the €2 a week charge- don't be

fooled!!!

If the majority of people across the country refuse to register or to pay before March, the Government cannot impose

this unfair tax. Households are not required to register until the 31st March and if a huge majority have not done so by

the start of March the Government will be in a seriously weakened position. By standing together we can beat them like

we did with the water charges in the 1990’s.

I believe that opposing this unjust tax is the first opportunity for ordinary people to say NO to the continuing policies of

austerity which are damaging our economy and forfeiting control of our country to the EU/IMF. Austerity is not work-

ing. The Irish Times of the 17th December reported that, according to CSO figures, the domestic economy suffered its

sharpest fall since the worst of the recession at the end of 2008. Investment in the economy has fallen to its lowest level

since records began in 1997. This is after approximately €12.5 billion has been cut from the economy since 2009.

Public meetings against the Household Tax are due to be held across the country in January in preparation for stepping

up the campaign in February and March. Please attend the local campaign meetings and events. If you are interested in

joining the campaign please contact me on either 087-1477316 or cieranperry@gmail.com.

St Josephs School must be protected

The Education cutbacks proposed by Fine Gael and Labour will have a huge affect on our children. It is incredible that

in the 21st century that these parties try to justify such backward steps and are so ignorant of the impact their actions

will have. For St. Josephs Co-Ed the cuts could mean the loss of up to 3 teaching staff, an increase in class sizes and the

end to the very successful reception class. I remember the very successful campaigning by parents to protect the school

in East Wall in the past and I am sure that the community will rise to the challenge again. It is important that this is

recognised as a major community issue and real pressure is put on the local TD'S and councillors of the Government

parties to reverse their outrageous proposals.

Campaign Against Household and Water Taxes Website: www.nohouseholdtax.org

Phone: 086 7289943

Cllr Cieran Perry chairs the Campaign Launch

Neither Berlin nor Boston but Bust…As a parent, one of the lessons we teach our children is that when they make mistakes, they should learn from them.

Sadly, this Fine Gael/Labour government has not learned any positive lessons from previous Fianna Fail corruption and

incompetence.

The recent Budget provided not a single opportunity for job creation or economic growth. At a time when our

unemployment rate has reached a staggering 14.5%, the failure of the Budget to address this crisis is unacceptable.

Instead, it was another attack on the poorest sections of Irish society while once again leaving those responsible for all

our woes untouched.

For working families, increased taxation through stealth taxes will reduce their already depleted household incomes.

Additional costs on petrol, bus fares up 15%, VAT increased on basic household necessities, increased education costs as

well as the totally inequitable household tax will only draw further money out of the economy. This will increase

unemployment as retailers and other suppliers close.

Cuts to the capital budget may look good in Berlin or Paris but in reality they equate to employment cuts in Ireland. A

proper government must stimulate the economy through increasing

employment and therefore increasing the spending power of people. The

recent decision to shelve the Grangegorman campus project has prevented

thousands of jobs being created for local unemployed people. Families in

Dublin Central have been denied an opportunity for employment because

the Government continues to ignore our communities and and bow to

Europe's demands.

Recent reports indicate that the EU/IMF have already dictated that the next

Budget will include direct tax rises and further attacks on our living

standards. Further increases in cost of health, education and cost of living

charges are to be introduced by the Fine Gael and Labour government.

Poor and working families will continue to suffer while those who brought

about the downturn remain untouched and protected by their glove puppets

in Fine Gael and Labour.

The full text of my Budget comment can be found at www.cieranperry.ie

Derelict sites must be improved

In December I drew attention to the poor condition of the East Wall Road Leslie Reynolds site adjacent to the school

and also the unsightly advertising structure overlooking the front yard. The City Council is now examining both

eyesores - improvements are due and will be monitored in the future.

I have regularly highlighted the problem of derelict sites and unfinished developments in the area. Many of these

properties are now in receivership but this is no excuse for allowing them to destroy the appearance of the area. I will

continue to raise awareness of this problem and if you have complaints about particular locations please contact me.

Local Burglaries on the Increase - Be Safe

An unprecedented number of burglaries have occurred in this area in recent months, many taking place in the afternoon

or early evening. While it is no consolation, a similar increase has occurred in other areas during this period. I have

raised these serious developments with senior Gardai at regular meetings. Without wishing to alarm people, I would

urge you to be extra vigilant and secure your property well. If you see suspicious activity do call the police immediate-

ly, and most importantly look out for your neighbours, especially the elderly and vulnerable.

DART underground decision ignores community

The Bord Pleanala decision in December was not a good one for the community. While I am not surprised that the RailOrder permission was granted, I am very disappointed with the conditions and the complete lack of concern showntowards affected residents.

To add insult to injury, the decision acknowledges the adverse affect on residential areas but concludes" that suchimpacts are an inevitable consequence of the scale and nature of the project" and that "the long term benefits of thescheme would outweigh the short term impacts due to construction". This is an outrageous dismissal of genuine concerns and fears- it should not be an either/or situation. A balance between the project and community rights couldhave been achieved. No effort was made to address this. The Bord also ruled that no costs could be awarded to residents, despite the unfairness of a large company like Iarnrod Eireann having massive public financing while thecommunity had to rely on local fund raising. Once again the lessons of the past decade have not been learned

The submissions by the community at the Oral Hearing effectively highlighted inadequate consultation and the lack ofprotection for residents, none of which is reflected in the outcome. The decision by the Government to suspend con-struction of this project leaves properties subject to C.P.O's in limbo, and may result in legal action by landowners.However, for the community there are no further options, and once again we witness a planning process that is heavilybiased against ordinary residents.

Where has our money gone? Part 2This Government has continued to increase the tax on ordinary families, either directly or through VAT increases, the

Universal Social Charge etc.. They claim the country needs greater revenues. However, not everybody has been paying

their fair share of taxes. The 12.5% corporation tax is a prime example. Even though this is a very low tax rate by

European standards, many large corporations do not even pay a fraction of it. For example Google only pays an over-

seas tax rate of 2.4%, Boston Scientific reported a 0.54% tax rate (2001-2003) and between 2004-5 Symantec had an

effective tax rate of zero.

In 2000, Fianna Fail introduced an Approved Retirement Fund which allowed owner investors to pay unlimited

amounts of company profits tax free into their personal pension funds. Revenue figures show that these funds increased

from €19 million to €1.1 billion and nothing could be done to recover the lost tax.

And what about the tax relief which brought about the construction industry crash? In one year alone, €421 million was

granted in tax relief for car parks, hotels and student accommodation.

At a time when Fine Gael and Labour are threatening to jail householders, perhaps they should look much closer to

home for the real criminals. Or perhaps just look in the mirror?

*Corporation Tax figures courtesy of LookLeft magazine

Where has our money gone? Part 1

We are constantly told that Irish people went spending mad during the so called Celtic Tiger years but I for one, like

many of my friends and neighbours, didn't benefit. So who did?

Well the horse racing clique certainly enjoyed public money. Between 2001 and 2008 €545 million of taxpayers money

was given by Fianna Fail to their friends in the Horse racing and Greyhound industry. That equated to subsidizing

every spectator by €40 when they attended a race meeting. And that figure excludes the multi-millions in tax

exemptions enjoyed by the wealthy stud owners. Even in 2009, as the economy crashed, €56 million of taxpayer's

money was given out in prize money to tax exiles like the Magniers and JP McManus, and the billionaire Aga Khan

and the multi-billionaire Maktoums to name but a few.

Perhaps it's not a coincidence that Bertie Ahern and the drug dealer John Gilligan both claimed to have "won it on the

horses' when asked to account for cash found in their possession.

Bin Service Privatised - Increased charges to follow - all thanks to Fianna FailLast September Dublin City Council management decided to privatise the bin service and the service will be handed over

to Greyhound Recycling, a private company, on the 16th January. DCC management didn't require the consent of the

elected councillors because the last Fianna Fail Government had given the City Manager the power to privatise this public

service. Dublin City Council and Greyhound can only guarantee that the bin charges will not increase for 6 months. As a

member of the Anti Bin Tax Campaign I warned people that the introduction of the Bin Tax would make the privatisation

of the waste service inevitable, resulting in increased charges and the removal of waivers. When councillors from Labour,

Sinn Fein, Fianna Fail and Fine Gael voted for the bin tax they knew that this would result in the end of a vital public

service. All these parties must share the blame. It was pathetic to recently see Fianna Fail councillors pretend they were

against the privatisation, considering that their Fianna Fail party destroyed our economy while looking after their wealthy

friends.

Green Bin Service Under ThreatDublin City Council are insisting that people pay the €100 standing charge in full before the end of January or Greyhound

will not collect the Grey, Green or Brown bins. DCC are forcing people to use the Greyhound service if they want retain

the Green Bin service. Another €100 bill on top of the expense of Christmas and the new threatened Household Tax will

put people under further financial pressure. Even the most environmentally friendly residents will now pay more.

Waivers will be DiscontinuedDublin City Council and Greyhound can only guarantee that the bin charges will not increase before July. DCC will only

subsidise the waivers until the end of the year. Old Age pensioners, social welfare recipients and other low income

families will then be expected to pay the full and more expensive bin charges from 2013.

Worryingly, DCC have also given Greyhound the authority to collect outstanding arrears from former DCC customers.

If you are contacted by Greyhound regarding arrears owed to DCC please contact me immediately.

Waste collection is an essential public service and should not be operated purely for profit. Privatising the service will

increase the cost to people and boost the profits of Greyhound.

Congratulating a successful communityAt the November Council meeting I proposed the following motion which

was passed unanimously - "That this committee congratulates the "East Wall

for All Committee" (and all the individual groups involved) for the hard work

and imagination they have put in to their hugely successful history week and

their annual Halloween festival which has contributed to an almost total

reduction in anti social behaviour and vandalism during this period."

The level of community participation and volunteer work is second to none

and deserves to be recognised. The involvement of all age groups and sec-

tions of the community has been particularly successful. At times like this,

with so much hardship and worry, it is important that residents stand together

and create a strong sense of community spirit.

Always active I am always active and always available to assist residents with their concerns. In recent months I have raised the Traffic

restrictions on East Wall Road, the failure of the flood emergency response, the Fairview Park improvements, the future

of Sean MacDermott street pool, and many other issues. My website contains a list of questions I have raised at City

Council meetings. If you have any issue you wish me to raise please get in touch .

Contact CIERAN directly on any issue - Ph: 087 1477316

Check out my website - www.cieranperry.ie

e-mail:cieranperry@gmail.com Facebook: Councillor Cieran Perry

Cllr Cieran Perry supporting the

Save Our Swimming Pool campaign