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File photo. Eamonn Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Wicklow Co Co must find the money to pay property tax on council houses

Wicklow County Manager Eddie Sheehy said there was “no provision in the budget for any payment in relation to local authority houses”.

WICKLOW COUNTY MANAGER Eddie Sheehy told the annual Wicklow County Council budget meeting yesterday there was no provision in the budget for the payment of property tax on local authority houses.

In the national budget announced on 5 December, the government said that local authorities will have to pay for the local property tax for local authority dwellings, apart from dwellings for the elderly and some other categories.

Mr Sheehy said it was “a very late announcement” and the 2013 budget for Wicklow County Council was made before it.

When asked if it would possibly entail the increase in local authority rents, Mr Sheehy said he wouldn’t rule it out:

It could entail possibly anything, we’ll look at the options if the government decision holds firm.

But just to emphasise, in case there is any doubt about it, there is no provision in the budget before you for any payment in relation to local authority houses for the local government.

The council will now have to carry out an evaluation exercise on local authority houses to calculate what they owe starting from 1 July.

Mr Sheehy told TheJournal.ie that Wicklow County Council has “an annual budget of around €90 million”, with around 2,000 council houses and depending on house evaluations, the council could owe somewhere between “€150,000 to €200,000″.

We had a €379,000 cut to our funding in the second half of this year because of the low collection of the household charge and we had to deal with that so we’ll have to deal with this also.

Mick Glynn, Wicklow County Councillor and Bray Cathaoirleach, told TheJournal.ie it was bad timing by the government:

I don’t think this is thoroughly thought through. I think it is ill-timed, especially when people are feeling hardship and the idea of raising rents to pay for the charge is unacceptable. Savings need to be found within the budget.

Many County Councils around the country are in the same predicament as Wicklow including Galway City Council. A spokesperson for Galway said councillors have unanimously passed a resolution “rejecting the imposition of a Property Tax on local authority houses and houses provided by voluntary bodies”.

Read: First vote on Local Property Tax Bill passes in Dáil >

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60 Comments
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    Mute siobeli
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:22 AM

    Why should those living in local authority housing not pay like the rest of us??? Talk about positive discrimination!!!
    My wage has decreased, but my mortgage hasn’t, yet if I lived in a l.a house my rent would decrease??!!!

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    Mute Yellow Elk
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:27 AM

    Eh.. Maybe because they’re not the homeowner?

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    Mute Mark Vieregge
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:40 AM

    Exactly Yellow Elk.

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    Mute Kieran Mac Court
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:46 AM

    PT is a factored cost and MUST be accounted for by landlords – private or otherwise – and as such all rents will increase in line with the property tax implementation.
    The consumer pays. ’twas always thus.

    70
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    Mute toorkeel
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:46 AM

    Siobeli, did you not hear. Those in Local Authority Housing don’t walk on footpaths, drive on roads, use green areas, use playgrounds, luse libraries etc etc…..why should they also have to pay?

    86
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    Mute Edmond Hickey
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:49 AM

    Who is? The Banks own most homes.

    27
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    Mute siobeli
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:50 AM

    Well the bank own my house until I finish paying my mortgage in 30 years!! If the local authority pay the tax, why can’t the bank pay mine??!!

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Dec 18th 2012, 10:30 AM

    Siobeli – seriously, you want the Bank to pay your property tax. What do you think will happen after that. The bank sending you a letter to say how pleased they are to pay this and Happy Christmas or The bank sending you a letter saying interest and administration rates have just gone up and it will now cost you so much extra. Careful what you wish for.

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    Mute siobeli
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    Dec 18th 2012, 10:47 AM

    Just giving an example begrudgery!!
    I don’t expect the bank or anyone to pay my tax.
    The irony that the la pay the tax, that is meant to be used by the la for local amenities!!

    18
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    Mute Jack Daniels
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:08 AM

    Toorkeel you hate poor people dont you .Why dont you head away to a more wealthy society and you wouldnt be tormented by the sight of struggling people .For everyone giving out about the property and people in council houses the oldest trick in the book turn the middle classes against the poor and unemployed their at it in England wholesale with the Tory Party.What else are ye going to fall foe ye have falling for everything else.I remember the tiger roaring and if you were from a council house you were dirt in the eyes of the new ambitious wealthy but now all that’s changed and people in council houses who never had nothing have not lost as much but who do the ambitious new not so wealthty turn on the people below them.If ye have a problem paying the Stealth Family Home Tax take it up with the Government dont say ok il pay if the people in social housing pay just dont pay it and resist it .Typical Irish round on their own.

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    Mute QuirkeAlan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:16 AM

    Jack, assuming people in council houses are poor or struggling is as bad as thinking a person with a mortgage must be doing just fine. If the tax is meant to be fair then it should be leveraged against every single property irrespective of whether you pay €35 a week in rent or €300 a week to a mortgage.

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    Mute Jack Daniels
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:24 AM

    Ya you think its Fair so this tax what are you getting for it.Im not saying people in council houses are poor but alot are im saying why if people are pissed about paying a tax instead of rallying together against it find it easier to say if we pay they pay .See that would be too much like sticking up for ourselves against a Government that people still follow faithfully.

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    Mute toorkeel
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    Dec 18th 2012, 3:29 PM

    Interesting Jack…Where did I say I hate poor people, what is a poor person exactly? Could a poor person be defined as someone with a family, paying a mortgage, childcare, ever increasing commuting costs, someone who has their wages cut by 20%, someone with zero disposable income after the bills are paid, paying practically 51% of their income on tax before the bills are paid, someone who has paid the Household Charge. Someone who works 60 hours a week but considered middle income? Is that a poor person, because this person sounds very like me!

    11
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    Mute Jack Daniels
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    Dec 18th 2012, 5:11 PM

    Bullshit Toorkeel your always on about the lazy poor your so Right your wrong.

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    Mute Michael O'Reilly
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    Dec 18th 2012, 6:11 PM

    Great idea!!!

    3
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    Mute toorkeel
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    Dec 18th 2012, 6:52 PM

    Now now Jack…don’t be telling porkie pies, then again I wouldn’t expect anything more from a “public house republican” like yourself. Does the truth hurt a little? Are the only “poor” in your eyes your typical SF supporters from the “Barrios” of sink estates up and down the country…so right I’m wrong, I think not!

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    Mute Declan Byrne
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:14 AM

    This country like a episode of one the carry on films.

    170
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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:20 AM

    Carry on Bungling

    82
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    Mute mattoid
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:26 AM

    Carry on up crap creek…

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    Mute Paul MC
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:18 AM

    I walk by a council estate every morning while bringing my kids to school, I see relatively new cars leaving the estate and plenty of cars that are more expensive than my own, while walking through the estate during an evening I could see in the front windows to the living room, most houses had 38″ or 40″ tvs, if people living in council estates can afford cars and big tvs they can afford to pay property tax. These are luxury items not necessities.

    176
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    Mute siobeli
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    Dec 18th 2012, 10:51 AM

    If we all could pay 15 % of our earnings towards mortgage/rent, we’d all be able to afford these things!!!

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    Mute Jonny California
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    Dec 18th 2012, 1:59 PM

    Go on Sherlock

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    Mute Michael O'Reilly
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    Dec 18th 2012, 6:09 PM

    Hear Hear….about time more of us spoke up about this !

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    Mute John Kennedy
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    Dec 18th 2012, 6:25 PM

    whats wrong with yous i love living in my council house with my bmw outside watching my big screen tv.i would gladly pay this tax if only my house cleaner and maid would take a pay cut.

    19
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    Mute Jack Jack
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    Dec 19th 2012, 12:40 AM

    The Council insisted they pay the property tax, God bless them

    1
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    Mute Edmond Hickey
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:15 AM

    Why don’t we get rid of all County Managers. Small little country with the population of Manchester – why do we need 26 county councils and all the other bits of redundant bureaucracy. Amalgamate each province and save us all. Amen.

    102
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    Mute Joseph McGranaghan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:07 AM

    Erm no, small county with 8-10 times the population of city of Manchester and 1.5 million ish more than Greater Manchester! Greater Manchester has 10 councils for a much smaller geographic spread, we’re not doing too badly so. if you are going to use numerical comparisons to make a point, get the numbers right! The problem is more the running of the councils than the number of them.

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    Mute Andrew McCarthy
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:48 AM

    The property tax is to fund local services, so the council will get all the money straight back again, right???

    86
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    Mute مارتينا ويني
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:53 AM

    I also live in local council housing, I pay my fair share of rent, if I lived in England for the property tax I would be offered my refuse to be collected along with water rates on top,along with other local services, what our government is asking us to do is pay them money for nothing its more than a stealth tax

    61
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    Mute Mark Vieregge
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:45 AM

    Exactly Andrew. It will be one department paying another and the associated cost with that. It’s absurd that councils should pay for their council homes.

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    Mute Jonny California
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    Dec 18th 2012, 2:00 PM

    Off u go so

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    Mute John
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    Dec 18th 2012, 3:26 PM

    Wrong, it is not to fund local services.

    2
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    Mute alan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:23 AM

    Dont worry revenue will hunt you all down take all the money you don’t have, and all the money will go into the big black hole of massive debt that’s not ours sounds fair to me…

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    Mute Scrap Croke Park1
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:24 AM

    Funny how Eddie is moaning about a shortfall of €150,000. His own inflated salary is €142,000. Hmm. I’m seeing a solution to the problem…

    http://politico.ie/irish-politics/8784-county-manager-salary-unchanged-for-two-years.html

    53
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    Mute John Scott
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:06 PM

    how many Councils are there in the County Wicklow. how many Councilpersons are sit on of these. WHY NOT HAVE ON COUNCIL FOR Wicklow. That for a start now lets cut Eddie massive pay. is he on expenses ?. now let see are they still get extra money to go to meetings ect ect

    5
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    Mute briewee
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:34 AM

    I think there is misinformation on local housing, I live in local housing I pay rent and do not recieve any rent allowance, I pay 64 a week I work in a min wage job and I know a elderly couple who pay 75 a week because they have 2 pensions coming into their house. Most of the families I know are paying the same and more than I am. No one gets to live in a house for free, I would have no problem with them adding 2 a week to my rent to cover the household charge.

    44
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    Mute norman hunter
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:47 AM

    Think you’ll find it will be more than 2euro.

    40
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    Mute briewee
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:04 AM

    It will be more than likely be 5euro extra a week, i’m just sick of people thinking because you live in local housing you don’t pay your way

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    Mute Eugene O'Rourke
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:32 AM

    Briewee. I think you don’t see it the way others do in relation to rent allowance. If you look at your monthly rent its less than e280 and you need to do is compare that rent to a similar property on daft/myhome and the.differance could be seen as the subsidy between the real market rent of your area and what you actually pay.

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    Mute briewee
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:59 AM

    if I was renting a house privately in my area the houses range from 500-700 euro per mth, I would get rent allowance as I fall under the income limits and I would be paying less than what I am paying now, while I was on the housing list waiting for house I am currently in I was paying 20euro per week less when I was privately renting either way I would be getting subsided

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    Mute Eugene O'Rourke
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:26 AM

    Briewe. I don’t have a problem you are in social housing, I was pointing out how people can see how the rent allowance can be viewed by either a payment to you or landlord or it can be seen as subsidized by paying a lower rent than the real market rate I.e. e280 vs e700 with no help towards payment.

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    Mute Billbond4
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:00 AM

    If the simi didn’t lobby to get the silly co2 based motor tax law. Councils would have more funds. Motor tax should be done at pumps.so the heavy users pay. Its so simple.makes so much sense.so the government won’t do it :-D

    40
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    Mute ciaran clarke
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:26 AM

    There just interested in taking as much money off us as possible.
    Paying at the pumps is a great idea.
    But they want to hit us at pod and motor tax and vrt.
    They want it every way.

    22
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    Mute 1 Human Being
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:33 AM

    Any problems with this new property tax you can blame the revenue the government won’t be taking any responsibility after the fiasco phogan made of the householdup charge. I’d say they can’t wait to start passing the buck. Just like joreilly does with buck passing to the HSE ” it’s not my fault it’s the _________”insert hse department. Bunch of spineless gretins.

    36
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    Mute Alan Conroy
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:52 AM

    The councils must pay a tax that will be used to fund councils… What the funk?

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    Mute Begrudgy
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    Dec 18th 2012, 2:05 PM

    Sounds like money laundering to me.

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    Mute Joseph McGranaghan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:01 AM

    Is this serious? The council has to pay a tax that’s designed to fund the council? Have I got my dates horrifically wrong? Is this really April 1st?

    23
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    Mute Damocles
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:18 AM

    This is why Eddie Sheehy is worth 142K a year, apparently.

    Of course the councils don’t have to pay it. Who employed this guy?

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    Mute Christine Downey
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:54 AM

    FF councillors?

    10
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    Mute Andrew Telford
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:06 AM

    Aren’t the councils and local authorities directly supposed to be receiving the proceeds from this tax?

    How can they not pay it, they’re writing a cheque to themselves…

    14
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    Mute Stephen Kane
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:52 AM

    As far as I know they already take 16% of the highest earnings as rent

    12
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    Mute Ben Gunn
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    Dec 18th 2012, 9:26 AM

    The figures quoted suggest a property tax for the half year at between €75 and €100 per property. So €1.50 to€2.00 per week on the rent from 14th January should cover it nicely.

    What was the problem again?

    12
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    Mute FlopFlipU
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    Dec 18th 2012, 8:10 AM

    Defer it until death

    12
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    Mute Cooltederry Gundogs
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    Dec 18th 2012, 12:15 PM

    Maybe they councils could just increase the council rent by ?3 a week. In fairness nobody is really living on the “breadline” in this country. It’s just do-gooder groups fighting decisions like this all the way.

    If you want to see people living on the breadline take a trip to Haiti or the slums in India.

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    Mute Joseph McGranaghan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 12:54 PM

    The breadline is a minimum standard of living within a developed society, plenty of people in Ireland fall below that. What you see in countries such as Haiti is abject poverty which is obviously much worse.

    12
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    Mute Damocles
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    Dec 18th 2012, 11:17 AM

    Could Wicklow get rid of Eddie Sheehy and be managed by a small bag of stoats?

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    Mute Jack Daniels
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    Dec 18th 2012, 5:14 PM

    Id give it another year ant the wealthy will have the middleclass and the working class/poor at each others throats we must be the easiest country in the world to manipulate.Suckers.

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    Mute Nos O'Toole
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    Dec 18th 2012, 7:48 PM

    New ePetition site on Home Tax …………… targeted at Labour TDs and Senators at:-

    http://www.HomeTaxPetition.net

    just signed it!

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    Mute Denise Sheehan
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    Dec 18th 2012, 5:21 PM

    The co council pay the tax but do the tenants pay the council or exempt from it or what ? No clue about this tax only I have to pay it :(

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    Mute padraig
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    Dec 18th 2012, 10:45 AM

    Lolz

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