The seething masses refusing to pay the soon to be introduced €100 household charge have a new high profile ally in ever controversial football pundit Eamon Dunphy.
Typically accustomed to arguing with Bill, Liam and John in the RTE studios, Eamon has turned his often loose tongue towards the Government and hit out at what he deems a grossly unfair burden on the less fortunate in Irish society.
“This unfair tax will punish the most vulnerable in society,” he said in his column in The Star, who didn’t pass up the opportunity to refer to the grizzled ex-Millwall man as a ‘top journalist’.
“Someone living in a mansion in Dublin 4 will pay the same as someone in a two-up, two-down in the most neglected areas of the city,” he added.
“This charge has to be stopped. I will not be paying this tax. I will not be registering for the household charge.
“That is because I want to find a way to protest at the behaviour of this government in their dealings with Europe and their willingness to betray us when they should be representing us.
“This new tax offers everyone in the State … the opportunity to stand up and be counted. We won’t pay the tax because we’re not contributing to the betrayal of the country.
“I have no objection to a properly thought-out property tax. But this charge has to be stopped.”
The campaign to resist the controversial charge has been gathering momentum in recent days with Joe Higgins, Aengus Ó Snodaigh and Thomas Pringle amongst the most vociferous opponents to a charge that the Government is defending by saying it will only cost homeowners €2 a week.
Plenty of angry people on the streets have already expressed their determination to keep their money in their pockets, but many are sure to be concerned at the fact that they find themselves actually agreeing with Eamon Dunphy about something.
Let’s hope it’s only a once-off.
