From October 1st we are expected to pay more for water in our homes, the first bills to arrive in January. Charges between €240 and €500 per annum have been approved by Government - they are to be imposed in the usual threatening and dictatorial manner.

Already, in preparation for this new tax, thousands of Smart Meters have been installed throughout the country, the work is ongoing. As part of the process near €80 million has been paid to consultants, huge salaries and bonuses are given to senior management and contracts have been issued to the favoured few to do the work - a gravy train in itself.

BUT, it is our money that is being spent, it is our natural resource that is being privatised, and we are already paying for the water infrastructure through existing taxation. Scandalously there has been no organised public consultation on this issue, the policy is being imposed - we are supposed to simply accept, pay up, and have no say in the matter!

Communities in Cork have been protesting at this imposition with some success.

Residents in the Ashbrook Estate in the Lehanamore/Togher area turned away the meter installers, others throughout the country have also taken to blocking their installation or making their objection known in one way or another.

Many families cannot afford to pay this additional cost, which is added to the Property Tax, other levies and a whole series of price increases.

The tax on water is a policy dictated by the IMF/ECB Troika and imposed on us by those who are supposed to represent us - using Dáil Éireann and local Councils to rubber stamp their betrayal.

That our Councils supports the local community by voting “NO to Water Tax”.

This would provide comfort and encouragement to families who live in fear of such charges and who simply cannot pay. It would also reject the right of anyone to impose policy on the people.

We wish to highlight that it is the democratic and Constitutional right of the people “to decide all questions of national policy” – has this happened?

Water Tax, to pay back to Bank speculators, is not the people’s policy!