If Pearse Doherty is Minister for Finance after the election, Sinn Féin says Irish Water will be scrapped immediately and people will not have to pay any more water charges.
But this afternoon’s Sinn Féin press conference in Dublin city centre did raise questions about the fairness of the party's plan, writes Conor McMorrow of our political staff.
Sinn Féin says it is about fairness. Mr Doherty, said: “My first priority will be to make the recovery fair. We will do that by ending the water charges, abolishing property tax, by ending the USC for 277,000 income earners, the lowest income earners who earn below €19,500.”
But the party’s position on what may happen if Irish Water is abolished raised eyebrows.
The Donegal TD said: “We will abolish water charges. We have the legislation ready to go. If Sinn Féin is elected there will be no more water charges for the people of this state and we will not pursue those who have not paid their water bills up until then.”
The message could not have been clearer from Mr Doherty: those who have already paid water bills will not be able to reclaim their payments in a post-Irish Water scenario.
The Sinn Féin finance spokesperson was asked about the inequity of vast swathes of people having already paid their water bills and not getting any money back from Irish Water.
Couldn’t this be seen as unfair to people who have been compliant?
Mr Doherty replied: “Sinn Féin has been upfront and honest. This is not the first time we have said this. We said this in relation to our alternative budget last year.
“We said it very clearly to individuals who are paying water charges, [that] in government while we would abolish water charges for the future, we cannot compensate them for any payment they have made in the past.
“We are also saying because the money has not been collected those individuals and communities who have insisted on not paying water charges, we will not pursue them through the courts.”
Pressed further about the inequity of the plan for those who would have already paid the levies, Mr Doherty, added: “It’s a choice that individuals have made. They have made it themselves.
“Some of them have made it because they felt pressured from this government that they would be pursued by the courts. We have been upfront and honest that we cannot replace that revenue due to the fiscal constraints that we are under.”
Mr Doherty, flanked at the press conference by Carlow-Kilkenny candidate Kathleen Funchion and Dún Laoghaire hopeful Shane O’Brien, continued to defend his party’s position regarding those who have paid their bills to date.
He said: “People may feel hard done by this government who have introduced water charges. We have been straight up with people that if you have paid your water charges we cannot refund you.”
By Conor McMorrow of RTÉ's Political Staff
