Last minute nation

The Irish love doing things at the last minute. We seem to get a kick out of it. Perhaps this national affliction can is down to a general laid back attitude, or perhaps a collective indifference. Produce a deadline for anything, and the result will always be the same – only at the eleventh hour, will action be grudgingly taken. There is perhaps no better example of this than the pathetically slow take-up of registration for the National Household Charge. The Government has asked us all to tell them where we live (because they seemingly do not know themselves) and are charging €100 for the privilege.

You may have missed this, but earlier this week, the Local Government Management Agency confirmed that over €10 million had so far been received to date in payment of the Household Charge. That figure seemed quite impressive until we found out that out of 1.6 million eligible homes, only 109,569 had registered their details and paid. That amounts to just 6.8 per cent, with just over a month to the payment deadline of 31 March. In a press release, the Local Government Management Agency appears to be trying to console itself by proclaiming that the figures were “in line with what happened three years ago when the Non Principal Private Residence charge was first introduced”. LGMA chief executive Paul McSweeney predicted “the nearer we get to the date at which penalties will apply, the numbers of people paying the charge increases”. He went onto appeal to owners of residential properties to register and pay as soon as possible, probably knowing he was not going to be knocked over in the rush.

The Irish population is painfully aware of the Household Charge, and what it will ultimately morph into – a full scale property tax. What will start out as simple registration and €100 will soon be a multiple of that amount for most homeowners. We know that this new property tax will ultimately fund local authorities. It will be used to maintain roads, provide emergency services, and fund libraries and public parks. What irks me about the money that has been – and will be – collected is that it will not necessarily fund my local roads, my local emergency services, or my local libraries and public parks.

What is not being widely publicised is that the money collected in Cork will not necessarily be spent here. Instead, it goes straight into the national pot from where it is allocated by the Department of the Environment and Local Government. Perhaps people would be quicker to pay the charge if they knew that their money was going to be used to fix the pothole outside their front door. Instead, some Government official will decide where your €100  is needed most. So much for local accountability – the Council has been handed the easy excuse of explaining why your money is not being used to fix your local problem (cue the stock answer of “you need to contact the Department").

The low registration rate so far has provided a boost for the anti-household charge campaign, who interpret indifference as a sign of mass resistance. If that proves to be the case, the 109,569 who have already paid up would have a good case to argue for their money back. However, I doubt that is the case. What the Government is asking to do is for all of us to voluntarily sign up to a new form of tax. There is no society that would do that quickly. We have another month during which we will debate and complain about this – and while a minority will feel justified in withholding payment, a compliant majority will accept the inevitability of the situation. The fines alone are threatening enough to boost traffic to that household charge website.

Let me go on record now. I can perfectly understand why people are refusing to pay this. There are multiple reasons why anger with official Ireland would make you think twice. However, I will be with the majority in the final rush. I know I could pay now, but as my mild form of protest, I am choosing not to. Like most, I will grudgingly register for the charge at the eleventh hour (as it stands, I am thinking 23:59 on 31 March). A small action to show that compliance does not necessarily equate to assent.