Campaign Against Service Charges (Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown) Richard Boyd Barrett is convenor of the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Campaign Against Service Charges, which has campaigned against bin taxes since they were introduced in the County six years ago. CASC has advocated a boycott of bin taxes on household waste collection for the following reasons: *Bin taxes are a double tax on ordinary workers and their families who already pay a high proportion of their income in income tax and other indirect taxes to pay for essential services. *Bin taxes are a regressive tax that hurt the poor and less well off. €300-€400 euro per year is nothing for a very high earner but it is a weeks wages for people on the minimum wage. *Big business not householders are the real polluters. Industry and Agriculture produce over 90 per cent all waste in this country, while the householders produce less than five per cent. Yet big business, pay only 12.5 % tax on their profits, while workers pay 20 or 40 per cent on income. Industry is also responsible for producing huge quantities of unnecessary and often un-recyclable packaging. *Bin taxes damage the environment. A recently released EPA report shows that a quarter of all household waste is now unaccounted for. In other words, many people are now burning and illegally dumping waste because they cant afford bin taxes. *Once introduced, bin taxes rise rapidly and lead quickly to the privatisation of all waste collection services. The privatised bin collection service in Wicklow is now charging up to €23.50 per bin lift and charges are also being levied for recycling bags.   Charges increased twice in 2006 alone. Private operators do not operate waiver schemes for the poor and less well off. *If bin charges are fully established, water will also be taxed and privatised. Essential services such as waste collection, water and sewage should be available to all not just those that can afford to pay. *CASC advocates a free public recycling system with major state investment in a national recycling infrastructure. This system could be self-financing or even generate revenue for local authorities if it was established properly. *Essential public services and vital infrastructure should be paid for from a central taxation system based on income and ability to pay. Tens of thousands of householders are still refusing to pay bin taxes across Dublin.