New Events

Dublin

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Mon Feb 24, 2025 01:15 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link BP Faces ?Existential Crisis? After Ruinous Attempt to Go Green Sun Feb 23, 2025 19:00 | Richard Eldred
BP's big green energy gamble has backfired, leaving profits in freefall and activist investors circling like sharks ? now, desperate to stay afloat, it's making a frantic dash back to oil and gas.
The post BP Faces ?Existential Crisis? After Ruinous Attempt to Go Green appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Migrant Powder Keg: Turmoil in Ireland Amid 300% Rise in Asylum Seekers Sun Feb 23, 2025 17:00 | Richard Eldred
With asylum claims up 300%, Ireland is ablaze with anti-migrant rage, with Dublin now a warzone of bus-smashing thugs, street machete fights and all-out brawls.
The post Migrant Powder Keg: Turmoil in Ireland Amid 300% Rise in Asylum Seekers appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Firemen Are Too Male and Too White, Say Chiefs Sun Feb 23, 2025 15:00 | Richard Eldred
Britain's fire service is too male, too white and stuck in the Dark Ages of bigotry, according to a report for the National Fire Chiefs Council.
The post Firemen Are Too Male and Too White, Say Chiefs appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Detectives Call on Grandmother ?For Criticising Labour Councillors? Sun Feb 23, 2025 13:09 | Richard Eldred
In a scene straight out of East Germany's Stasi playbook, a grandmother got a visit from two plainclothes police officers ? not for committing a crime, but for daring to criticise Labour councillors online.
The post Detectives Call on Grandmother ?For Criticising Labour Councillors? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?121 Sat Feb 22, 2025 05:50 | en

offsite link US-Russian peace talks against the backdrop of Ukrainian attack on US interests ... Sat Feb 22, 2025 05:40 | en

offsite link Putin's triumph after 18 years: Munich Security Conference embraces multipolarit... Thu Feb 20, 2025 13:25 | en

offsite link Westerners and the conflict in Ukraine, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Feb 18, 2025 06:56 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?120 Fri Feb 14, 2025 13:14 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Dublin Anti Bin Tax Campaign win landmark court case

category dublin | bin tax / household tax / water tax | news report author Tuesday December 07, 2004 16:02author by Donal Mac Fhearraigh - SWPauthor email donal at swp dot ie Report this post to the editors

Brid Smith, Dublin Anti Bin Tax Campaign

The High Court this morning ruled in favour of a case appealed from the
Circuit Court on behalf of the Dublin City Campaign Against the Bin Tax.
In this landmark case, Justice Lindsay found that the City Council illegally
applied bin charges for the years 2001/2002, on the basis that they defied
their own criteria and failed to provide incentives for re-cycling.

The High Court this morning ruled in favour of a case appealed from the
Circuit Court on behalf of the Dublin City Campaign Against the Bin Tax.
This is a victory for the thousands of non-payers throughout the city.

The judgement vindicates the stance taken by the campaign, that the bin
charges are an unjust double tax. It will have major implications for the
Council policy of pursuing non-payers of the charges through the Courts.

In this landmark case, Justice Lindsay found that the City Council illegally
applied bin charges for the years 2001/2002, on the basis that they defied
their own criteria and failed to provide incentives for re-cycling. Because
the Council imposed a flat-charge, regardless of whether use was made of the
service or not, the charge was deemed illegal in this case.

The case was taken on appeal by two members of the campaign in Dublin.

The implications of this ruling are that nearly 300 cases pending for
non-payment of the charges in this period will fall. It could also mean
that those who did pay the charges could justifiably pursue a refund from
the Council.

According to Councillor Joan Collins of the campaign, “This proves that
people have been correct to refuse to pay this unjust double tax. On a daily
basis people all over Dublin are being bullied and threatened by the Council
because of these charges. Just this week thousands of threatening letters
from a debt collection company Legal & Trade have gone out all over Dublin.
In some cases the Council staff are phoning peoples homes and harassing them
for the bin charges. We believe this ruling will help our case in standing
up to the council’s tactics which have been marked by threats and jailings
in this high profile campaign. The Council are totally out of order”.

Disgracefully, Dublin City Councillors voted for a budget which includes a
74% increase in bin charges only last week. The resentment and anger of
Dublin citizens to this hike will be boosted by this ruling this morning.


For further information contact Brid Smith at 087 9090166 (spokesperson)

Related Link: http://www.swp.ie
author by Interestedpublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 16:32author address author phone Report this post to the editors

This morning's case was in the Circuit Court not the High Court. The High Court has already ruled in favour of the Council in the Case Stated involving S. Wright.
Strangely the Circuit Court judge this morning failed to refer to the earlier judgement of Justice Quirke. This morning's judgement was on one case, a different Circuit Court judge might find differently in another case. Don't get too excited !

author by Haripublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 16:43author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"In some cases the Council staff are phoning peoples homes and harassing them
for the bin charges".
This is not true. No Council Staff are involved in this practise. Councillor Collins should verify her facts before making such accusations.

author by Ickle Wigpublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 16:56author address author phone Report this post to the editors

A case stated goes from the District Court to the High Court.
Check out District Court: Courts (Supplemental Provisions) Act 1961 ss 51 - 52
Methinks Interested is a trolling gobshite.

Well done them bin tax campaigners

author by Interestedpublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 17:11author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The first bin charge case to be heard in Dublin was on the 22nd September 2002 in the District Court before Judge Early.
The outcome of this case was a Case Stated, from the District Court, to the High Court on the Polluter Pays Principle.
This was duly adjudicated on by Justice Quirke, who found in favour of the City Council.
My earlier point was that it was unusual for a Circuit Court judge to fail to refer to an earlier ruling from a higher court.

author by I Wpublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 17:14author address author phone Report this post to the editors

There is a difference between the 'Polluter Pays Principle' and the fact that the council illegally didn't implement that principle.

author by .publication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 17:23author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Well, maybe it's not the voice of council staff but there is an automated dialler calling people and telling them they owe xxx and that the council will not put up with any more delays. They then get the option of paying immediately via credit card or talking to a customer service rep to arrange a repayment schedule.

I know cos I got a call yesterday. What disturbed me was how they got the phone number - since I have never received a bill in the name the phone number is registered to (there is a person called 'The Occupant' who the council corresponds with using my address but, since they don't live in the house we return the letters).

So, maybe a council employee is not the voice, and maybe the customer service rep is outsourced and maybe the system was developed by contractors but someone in the council gave the go ahead. Likewise with the (expensive) leaflet that was distributed detailing the bin charges before the council had approved them. This junk mail then told us how to be environmentally friendly by paying our bin charge and leaving our rubbish to pile up for a few weeks. Thank god it is never summer in Ireland and the waste will never smell or rot or be a health risk.

author by ABTApublication date Tue Dec 07, 2004 17:29author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Even if it's through Legal and Trade - it is the council or agents there of.

Related Link: http://dataprivacy.fusio.net/register/display.asp?ID=4042%2FA
author by Reuse, reduce, recyclepublication date Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:27author address author phone Report this post to the editors

"Dublin Anti Bin Tax Campaign win landmark court case "

So landmark, it hasn't been reported anywhere!

author by binlidpublication date Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

You obviously weren't watching the RTE 6 o' clock news yesterday evening then.

author by Circuit Courtpublication date Thu Dec 09, 2004 22:26author address author phone Report this post to the editors

RTE seem to think it was the Circuit Court!

A High Court decision is binding precident on the Ciruit Court.

This means that the Judge either wasn't aware of the previous High Court case or that the decision in the previous case didn't impact on this one as it related to a different question.

Either way, if they're facing 200 cases, they may decide to get the law in the areas settled by the High & even Supreme Courts, just so everyone knows exactly where they stand.

author by unpaidpublication date Sat Jan 01, 2005 00:16author address author phone Report this post to the editors

The council are now threatening to only collect bins which are "registered", this is another attempt to implement the policy of non-collection on which they had to back down before.
The council are also using a debt collection agency based near Ashtown Cross. The agency is sending out letters demanding payment within three days and threatening that they will initiate court proceedings.

Number of comments per page
  
 
© 2001-2025 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy