[Sinn Fein]

23rd December 2002

Sinn Fein Councillors tell tonight's City Council Meeting `Bin the charges - end double taxation'

Dublin City Sinn Fein Councillor Christy Burke has called on people to attend a protest opposing bin charges at City Hall this evening  where Dublin City Council is due to meet to vote on the Estimates and bin charges. This is the second meeting to discuss the Estimates because no one proposed them at the last meeting of the Council. Cllr. Burke said:

``Tonight, at what is the second meeting of Dublin City Council called to try and push through the estimates, not only will City Management attempt to keep the bin charges there are huge concerns that they will be substantially increased.

``Sinn Fein fought tooth and nail against the introduction of bin charges in this city because they are an unfair form of double taxation and we will strongly oppose their inclusion in the Estimates going before the Council tonight. 

``In their place we are recommending that a range of measures be introduced to fund such services in the city including:

Cllr Burke said that he hoped we would not see a situation similar to that in 2001 when Environment and Local Government Minister Noel Dempsey made a nonsense of local democracy when he bullied councillors into bringing a bin tax under threat of replacing them with a Government appointed commissioner.

``Sinn Fein remains absolutely opposed to bin charges as a solution to the waste management problems of Dublin and we are committed to having them overturned. I am calling on people to join with us in this campaign by attending the protest at City Hall this evening.''

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