Finance Minister Michael Noonan has admitted that €490m meant for local services is to be diverted into Irish Water.
Mr Noonan said a “subvention” was being made from the local government fund to go to the water metering company.
He said Revenue collects the money and the total property tax returns are then transferred to the Local Government Fund for services.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said proceeds from the property tax were being used to set up Irish Water. “The Government, in levying this unpopular, regressive austerity tax, tried to neutralise opposition to it by saying that all the moneys collected would go back into local areas and services,” said Mr Boyd Barrett. “We then discovered not a single cent would go towards local services, but would be used to meet the start-up costs of Irish Water.”
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/490m-meant-for-local-services-diverted-to-irish-water-255608.html
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