Householders will face water charges
ENVIRONMENT Minister John Gormley yesterday signalled householders will soon have to pay water charges.
The minister confirmed the Commission for Taxation was considering the introduction of domestic water charges as a way of increasing the tax intake for local authorities.
"It is a very thorny subject in this country because we believe that water falls from the sky and there's no need for anybody to pay for it," he told a gathering of climate change experts at a workshop in Dublin Castle. "I think we are going to have to grasp this particular nettle and say yes we are going to have to pay for treated water."
Asked to clarify if this meant householders would face bills for domestic water use, he said the commission must be permitted to complete their studies and he could not preempt the outcome of their research.
Under an EU directive, all water users, apart from households, are being charged in a bid to conserve water use.
- Louise Hogan
