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When injustice becomes law

Head Rambles Posted on by

I made the mistake of watching The Frontline last night.

Naturally my blood pressure climbed way beyond the danger level.

The topic was the proposed new property tax which is going to be loaded on us come the next budget in December.

There are so many things wrong with this tax that I really don’t know where to start.

First of all, they keep bleating that the tax is being demanded by The Troika [aka those cunts in Brussels].  If so then they can fuck off.  Brussels has no right whatsoever to demand any specific tax.  There is an argument that because they lent us money [to pay themselves back their bad gambling debts] that they have a right to moan about our balance sheet but that is as far as it goes.  They have no right whatsoever to demand anything specific.

Then there is the question of where the money is going.  They claim it is exclusively to pay for the local council.  If so, what exactly am I paying for?

Water?  The local water supply is frequently undrinkable because of the fucking chemicals they put in it.  The smell would make you retch as it comes out of the tap.  Anyway we are about to be hammered with water metering, so that’s not it.

Roads?  Hah!  They come around every so often and fuck a couple of spades of chippings into the potholes, which is promptly washed out again within days.  Proper road maintenance is non-existent.

Rubbish collection?  Done by a private firm for which I pay.

Street lighting?  This is the middle of the fucking countryside.  We have one street light which I would be quite happy to see removed.  I don’t know why they put it there in the first place.

Street cleaning?   Mwaaaahahahahaha!  Yes.  Right.  I think I have twice seen a street sweeping lorry pass by in the last ten years.

Verge maintenance?  I do that myself, as do my neighbours.  They can fuck off on that count.

Playgrounds and public parks?  Where?

Library service?  I have stopped using the local library for various reasons, but I would be quite willing to pay a membership fee as it’s an excellent facility.

Councillors’ expenses, trips abroad and other fancy junkets?  Yup.  That’s what I’m paying anything up to a thousand yoyos for.

And how are they going to assess the value of my property?  My house is unique in that there are no similar properties in the locality or anywhere else for that matter.  A local house was “valued” by estate agents [who presumably are professional valuers?].  It is still on the market a year later at a lot less than their original “value”.  So much for professional valuation?

A member of the Frontline audience quoted Thomas Jefferson last night.

"When injustice becomes law then resistance becomes duty"

By God am I going to do my duty!

 

Comments

When injustice becomes law — 9 Comments

  1. I would suspect that my house in the Willow Grove is not unlike your own as there are no similar properties near it.
    Also, like you, as house on the same little back lane has been on the market for (must be at least) four years. Mind you, the garden is very much overgrown and the owner is s a cunt but I’m just saying.

  2. Mossy – Hah!  Are you saying that the house comes with the owner as part of the bargain?  That would put me off too, cunt or not!

  3. I don’t think so GD!!
     
    Just that his attitude would not charm potential buyers.
     
    So how are they going to value these properties is,as you rightly say, the burning question.
     
    I mean, can you get your local friendly auctioneer to do it?
     
    “Ah jaysus Mick it’s not possibly worth that much. Knock a few thousand off just for old times sake and I’ll buy you a pint or three tonight”

  4. The “Troika” demanded that the gubmint here institute a property tax, which they have done. The formula is quite simple. They rate according to area, and then tax you per square metre according to the area band you fall in. My area is taxed at €3 per sq. m. per annum. The square meterage is also the basis for the local council tax (property tax goes to central government). Cleverly, they have done with the new property tax what they have done with the local taxes (and the TV licence fee) for years – they get the State Electricity supplier to add it to your electricity bill (the new property tax is split into five payments) so if you don’t pay it….get the candles out. Tricksy, huh?

  5. Is that a property tax along with the VAT tax?  That’s insane. Here in the US we’ve been paying property taxes since I don’t know when.  We’ve never had a VAT tax, but I fear that’s not too far off.  I’ve just got one question; Why is it getting warm, and why are we in this handbasket?

  6. Mossy – It’s going to be like the old days with rates.  There will be a Ratable Value and a True Value [whatever the latter is!]  I went through all that malarkey when calculating Inheritance Tax. 

    Nisakiman – The Revenue has kindly agreed to collect the house tax for us, which means if anyone is in the system at all, they will be screwed.  It’s not a case of not paying as the cash will be deducted at source.  How they are going to divert the correct amounts to the various councils is another cynical question.

  7. Patrick – We pay VAT at varying rates on everything [except food and a couple of other things].  That is after we pay Income Tax and the Universal Social Charge [i.e another tax].  Of course we also pay excise duty on smokes, alcohol and petrol.  Now we are about to enjoy a water charge and a Property Tax.  That excludes all the other taxes we pay such as parking fees [another tax, basically], Road Fund Licence [car tax] Credit Card Duty [tax], Airport Tax and all the other jolly little ways the fuckers like screwing us.  I think we have already arrived in the Hot Place.

  9. Peacock – I doubt they’ll try that here.  The Catholic Church doesn’t exactly have a very good reputation here at the moment!

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