Bin tax protesters in Cabra blockade two trucks

by Chekov Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:03

I left the blockade at 11 am at which stage it was holding firm and had continued to grow throughout the morning. About 30 people on one of them and 15 on the other. In other news, Joe Higgin's case was adjourned until 2pm to give the defendants time to read a couple of affadavits that were added to the case this morning. Interestingly two of them were statements from council spies at public meetings.

by Chekov Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:09

An activist from Blanchardstown arrived at about 10 am to participate in the Cabra blockade. He reported an incident that had taken place on a blockade in Blanch; at a time when numbers had dwindled on the blockade as mothers were collecting their kids from school, 25 gardai, none of whom were wearing numbers, approached the blockade and started threatening to have the children of the women on the picket taken into care. They then cleared the blockade.

by Micky Mc Dowell Wed Sep 17, 2003 14:37

My incorruptible police force will take your little children into care ..... just like in the good old days ..... when the priests did it for us ....

by Chekov Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:18

I just heard that the blockade has just been broken by the gardai. Some 20 or so cops arrived at about lunchtime and cleared the picket by force. At the moment I don't have more details, but one thing is clear, the state has decided to escalate the battle in the city area and the campaign will not be cowed.

by tactical media Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:26

Gardai obviously think they can up the ante when the television has moved on

get a record of what they're up to

by Andrew Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:49

Recent demo experience does indeed suggest that the Gardai are more careful when cameras are present (mind you they have also had a go at several people with cameras, arrested camera people, tried to smash cameras and confiscated film).

I think all the bin tax indymendia pictures to date have come from me. There are several other people who contribute photos here on a regular basis plus lots of other activists could start to do so. So its probably a good idea for campaign activists to get cameras and for indymedia photographers to contact their local campaign and ask to be given a shout when something is going down.

You don't need a fancy camera for doing this. The one I'm using is a crappy old box like digital camera thats over 3 years old.

by country dweller Wed Sep 17, 2003 15:51

and take heed of your demands to put a stop to this 'double tax'(?!), and they collect everyones waste for nothing, but still have to pay to dispose of it, and when they take funds from the government to pay for this, and take even more away from the health budget, education budget, etc. etc., how do you propose to make up for the shortfall? Its quite easy to understand why this protest has gotten where it is today due to its populist theme(keep your money to consume more and therefore create more waste). I'm not trying to provoke you lot or anything, but it seems to me like this whole affair is ridiculous. It costs a whole lot of money to dispose of OUR waste these days, and who is going to pay for it if not those who produce it? The tax take is already seemingly insufficient to provide a decent healthcare system, our kids are learning in old factories, the only way this can work is if the whole system changes. It seems a lot more scandalous to me the amount of money our tds make.

by Andrew Wed Sep 17, 2003 16:03

I'm not against tax. I'm against a flat rate tax that hits the poor and low paid hardest. Suggestions for raising revenue.

1. 90% tax on land speculations gains due to rezoning

Front page of the Indo today has a story on a Finna Failer (Donal Kensella) who has just made 9 million because the Fianna Fail council has rezoned his land from farmland? (value 10,000 an acre) to industrial and commercial (200,000 an acre). Thats a 2000% profit for sitting on his arse - why not tax it at 99 or even 100%.

2. Tax corporations at the same sort of level PAYE workers are taxed

3. Tax income over 100,000 at a new 50% tax band

Those three alone would bring in 500 times more then the bin tax.

by country dweller Wed Sep 17, 2003 16:16

I absolutely agree with you there

by conor (wsm personal capacity) Wed Sep 17, 2003 17:10

according to the National Waste Database Report Summary 1998 (most recent report available)

http://www.epa.ie/whatsnew/whatsnew.htm

(http://www.epa.ie/pubs/docs/Nat.%20Waste%20Summary.pdf - for the pdf)

house holders generated 1,220,856 tonnes out of 80,012,678 produced nationally or about 1.52% by my calculations

so why not tax those who generate the vast majority of the waste (industry and agriculture) - as it stands the PAYE tax payer who ALREADY pays 80% of tax (directly and indirectly) is now being asked to subsidise those who generate 98% of the waste

- they can stuff that !

Conor

by Badman Wed Sep 17, 2003 17:20

That's how much I would have to do to pay my share of local funds. Tony O'Reilly would have done his bit in a fraction of the time that it takes him to have a sip of champagne. Fair?

by city dweller Wed Sep 17, 2003 17:25

There is nothing ridiculous or surprising about the fact that the people are beginning to revolt over this issue.
The tax system in Ireland is a complete absurdity.

The heaviest taxation burden is placed on the ordinary working people i.e. those who are dependent on their labour for an income and don't have the luxury of a rental (i.e. non-earned) income from property or money. These people have minimal opportunity for tax evasion because the ever-benevolent State deducts what it deems to be due at source.

And what does all this PAYE tax actually go for ?
Well as far as I'm aware the lion's share of it goes to finance a thing called the "national debt" .... i.e. to pay off old loans made by the previous generations of bent politicans, the likes of Charvet-Shirt Haughey etc.
(I stand open to correction on that but please give some facts and figures.)

You wouldn't mind so much if the money borrowed by Charlatan Haughey and co. had been put to good use but Ireland must have one of the crappiest public infrastructures in Europe ......

Of course now that Ireland has definitively joined the fast-track throwaway consumer society, somebody will have to "pay" for waste disposal ........

But when land speculators are reaping huge UNEARNED windfalls (large chunks of which which no doubt they are parking offshore - just like in the good old Ansbacher days - or otherwise minimising their tax liabilities) and the ordinary PAYE worker / employee is struggling with spiralling house price inflation (due in no small part to the aforementioned land speculators) and forcibly deprived AT SOURCE of a significant chunk of his/her EARNED income, it's a bit naive to think that the PAYE wage slaves are going to take it all lying down ....

They're not ... and whatever else one may say about the matter, this is a healthy development ....

As a previous poster pointed out there's plenty of scope for reform in the taxation system ....
However, given that our political establishment is deeply ensconced in the pocket of the land speculation lobby I wouldn't be holding my breath on that particular score .....

by Sir Anthony Wed Sep 17, 2003 17:30

Badman old chap you should have invested in Eircom shares like I did ... a very healthy return ...

Seriously though, I propose that Dublin Corporation or whoever is responsible introduce an option whereby those who cannot or will not pay are obliged to give two weeks service as refuse collectors ....

This way they can pay off their debt to the community .....

by Ciaran (gold)Cuffe(links) - Greedy Greens The Millionaires Party Wed Sep 17, 2003 17:53

I took Sir Anthonys advice. Now I get a better return and the poor pay my tax!

by Sir Anthony Wed Sep 17, 2003 22:55

Sure isn't that what the poor are for Ciaran old boy ?

Where would the likes of us be without them !