Proposed payments for water meter installation in Irish homes have provoked fury after it was revealed householders could be forced to pay €39 annually for the next two decades.
The move to stagger the payment for meters has been slammed as a "stealth tax" by Irish opposition politicians, as it emerged the overall cost of installing the devices across the Republic would amount to €780 million.
This cost is being covered by a loan from the National Pension Reserve Funds, but householders could be paying it back drop by drop for 20 years.
Final details of any charges will be revealed by the Commission for Energy Regulation. The issue of water meters has been causing stress for months, and this week Taoiseach Enda Kenny confirmed householders would ultimately be the ones to stump up charges, with early 2014 the likely starting date for bills.
"Obviously when you provide water meters somebody has to pay for them," Mr. Kenny said.
"We've made absolutely no decision about this. Any charge will be the absolute minimum because of the difficulties that are involved here."
Sinn Féin leader and Louth TD Gerry Adams hit out at the plans saying: "The fact is, people pay taxes. Straws break camels' backs. We know that people can't afford the septic tank charge, can't afford the household charge, can't afford VAT increases, and they can't afford the hike in public transport.
"This is just another bad action by what I believe is an increasingly bad government."
While the cost covers the installation of the meters, it has been revealed that the cost of the devices themselves will also fall to cash-strapped householders, estimated to be around €350.
The backlash is also causing some long-serving Labour party members to threaten they will quit if the charges are forced. Wicklow Councilor Jimmy O'Shaughnessy, a member for 60 years, said Labour had become Fine Gael's "whipping boy" in the coalition government.
