A-Infos (en) Working Class Resistance #6 - Further leaks in the Tap Tax

[Al <klasbatalemo@yahoo.ie>]

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The controversial government plans to introduce a ‘tap tax' by 2006 (see WCR#5)
has been further criticised by anti-water charges campaigners since it has been
revealed that tax-payers across the north have already splashed out £358m for
repairing and upgrading water pipes and sewers over the last five years.
Water Service authorities have spent £282m on improving infrastructure since
1999  and an additional £76.1m for maintenance upgrades. This makes a tax bill
of around £358m to be paid by water users, money that will be used to plug the
gaps in a failing system which squanders millions of litres of water each day.
Water service chief executive Katherine Byrne has said:
"The issue of water leaking away has been highlighted
by recent NI Audit Office reports but these figures
suggest that the problem has not been resolved."

So not only will consumers be asked to pay an unfair
double-tax on water (for which they already pay
through rates) but they will also be asked to bail out
the government for years of neglect to the service!

The result of the water tax in the north, the highest
in the U.K., will be job losses (predicted to be at
least 900 province-wide), a greater centralisation and
erosion of services and privatisation by the back
door.

Only a massive campaign of non-payment, involving
obstruction of attempted disconnection of water
supplies, reconnection of supplies to those who have
been cut off, and the setting up of a legal defence
fund to assist those arrested for non-payment will
help smash the government attempts to do in the north
what the government in the south failed to do.

Members of Organise! in the north are committed to
this struggle.  Anyone can get involved. Hold meetings
in your local area. Support non-payment and direct
action, and build resistance in your street.  Join us
in defeating water charges and privatisation of our
water.  Contact us or the Communities Against the
Water Tax to get involved (see the contact
information).

Al

******************************************************

>From the pages of Working Class Resistance #6,
bulletin of Organise!

To distribute in you area, contact Organise! at:

organiseireland@yahoo.ie

http://www.organiseireland.org

=============================================
* Ed note: Due to an error on my part in a recent email from
  the Irish anarchist group -Organise!, I mistakenly
  inserted information that was false. Organise! is
  not part of the Anarchist Federation in the UK, or
  any other organisation.

  I wish to apologize for this error.

Ilan


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