What can Irish Water do if you don’t pay your water charges?
Q I don’t intend to pay water charges in any shape or form. What happens if I don’t pay or register now that the rules are changed? I live in rented accommodation. A Usually, when utility bills for gas or electricity are not paid, the debt is pursued through the courts. But Irish Water boss John Tierney has been quoted as saying he doesn’t ‘envisage a situation whereby we will have to be taking people to court’.
That has been interpreted as ruling out court action. The threat to reduce your water supply to a trickle has also been removed. The main sanction is that charges will be attached to the property and recouped when the house is sold.
As you live in rented accommodation, it’s hard to see how that is going to be much of a sanction.
Mr Tierney has reportedly also made a reference to ‘going to landlords to collect charges’ where tenants don’t pay. Yet wouldn’t that put an unfair onus on landlords to collect a highly controversial charge? The chaos and confusion surrounding this issue seems to grow rather than diminish. Q I live on my own and have a few questions about the new water regime. How much will I have to pay in water charges (if I do pay) and from when? And for how long will this new regime last? A A single adult household will have to pay €60. All others are to pay a maximum €160 (after the €100 water conservation grant). The first bills will arrive in April. And both capped rates will apply up to the end of 2018. Q I would like to make a contribution to a charity this Christmas. Can I claim tax relief on this? I am a top rate taxpayer. A There is tax relief but you do not claim it. Instead, the charity grosses up the contribution you make and effec- tively claims back the tax you pay. Here’s how it works for a cash donation of €1,000: Donation €500 Tax associated @41% €347.46
Total benefit to charity: €847.46
It’s really the same thing as you reclaiming the tax. To look at this another way, if you want to effectively contribute €1,000, all you have to do is donate €590 and that is grossed up to €1,000 by the refund.
You have to have actually paid this much in tax for the scheme to work. The charity has to be on the Revenue’s list of ‘approved bodies’, which also includes some educational establishments. And you must supply your PPS number to the charity so it can work it out. Q I am thinking of buying a cottage, which has a corrugated iron roof. Could I get a grant to replace this with thatch? If so, how much would that be? A Thatching grants are available for houses that already have thatched roofs – or used to have them. Many such roofs were replaced with the cheapest alternative, i.e. corrugated iron, so you may be in luck. If you inves- tigate and prove that the house previously had a thatched roof, it may qualify for a grant. A photograph would be ideal – or perhaps the testimony of locals. Otherwise, the answer is no.
If you do qualify, the grant is usually for two thirds of the approved cost up to a maximum of €3,810. Medical card holders and homes on certain offshore islands qualify for higher grants. In those cases, the grant can cover 80% of the cost of thatching. Full details are available at www.environ.ie.