The Government plan to introduce a property tax on the family home and a water tax by 2014. They are introducing a household charge in January as an “interim measure” for 2012 and 2013. The charge will start at 100 euro for 2012. It will be levied on 1.6 million households or 86% of all households in the state.
Since publication of this article, further details of how the tax is being introduced have come out, these can be read in this article by Joe Higgins TD.
The response to the health cuts, particularly those affecting services for the disabled signalled that anger and disillusionment with the Government and their programme of austerity is growing.
Socialist Party TD, Joe Higgins, abstained on the Dáil vote on the bill to criminalise the purchase of sex proposed by Thomas Pringle TD which took place on Tuesday 7 May 2013.