‘Minister should come clean over tap tax’

Alliance Finance Spokesman Seamus Close has challenged the Regional Development Minister to come clean over water charges and stop trying to drown the public in obfuscation.

Speaking after the Minister announced a consultation exercise on the future of water services, Mr Close said:

“The Minister should admit that people are already paying for their water. She knows there is no such thing as free water from the tap; she knows that the infrastructure, the purification and treatment of water is paid for by taxation of the people.”

“Angela Smith should admit that she wants to introduce yet another tax – a tap tax – to make water self-financing. I call on her to publicly state that in her drive towards transparency and fairness she will install water meters so that people can see what they are paying for.”

“The old argument that these are too expensive won’t wash, given that her Government are prepared to spend £1.75 billion on killing people and destroying what infrastructure might remain in Iraq just to satisfy the ego of the two ‘B’s – Bush and Blair.”

“A few hundred million would install meters in Northern Ireland. I ask Angela Smith to tell the public where her priorities lie.”

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