The front page of The Irish Examiner tells us how local authorities are planning to deal with non payment of the household charge.

An estimated 600,000 households have not yet paid the charge and now county councils will have to “look down the back of sofas” in order to balance the books. Cutting staff wages is not an option because they are protected under the Croke Park agreement.

In order to balance budgets and deal with the estimated €60 million shortfall in revenue, local authorities will apparently be forced to take “extreme measures” such as switching off street lights and closing public parks.

If you’re one of those households who haven’t paid, would these ‘extreme measures’ change your mind?

And if you have paid, is it fair for you to be penalised with the non-payers?

href="https://www.facebook.com/anne.o.dunlea">Anne O’Callaghan Dunlea Won’t register-won’t pay

href="https://www.facebook.com/rorybyrnelike">Rory Byrne Well, someone has to switch the lights off in this country before they leave…. who ever that last person is??

href="https://www.facebook.com/PinkFloyd138">George Man No

href="https://www.facebook.com/lynn.sampey.3">Lynn Sampey I paid €3800 development levy to the county council on receipt of planning permission to construct my house. That money was to be used for the purposes of lighting, road maintenance etc. We have no street lighting in our village let alone outside our house, a grass strip running up the centre of the roadway and overgrown hedgerows! I reckon I have paid enough!

href="https://www.facebook.com/rossaoconnor">Rossa O Connor Rural area! What use are they to us?

href="https://www.facebook.com/dave.o.flynn.16">Dave O’ Flynn Typical scaremongering

href="https://www.facebook.com/davidgreygreen">David Grey There is a very simple solution which would make most people happy!
/> Scrap this charge & introduce a rates system, which would include provision of all services including waste pick up!
/> The govt could put this out to contract & bring down the cost of waste removal dramatically as they would have bulk bargaining power!
/> If this saved €100 per household she Govt would get their money & it wouldn’t cost us any more, it would also stop illegal dumping as every household would be signed up saving even more money!
/> Our Govt & perma Govt haven’t a brain cell between them!!!

href="https://www.facebook.com/mik.kershaw">Mik Kershaw NO!!!!

href="https://www.facebook.com/dermot.shaw.5">Dermot Shaw if they follow a common sense approach, reference the UK, and have the water supply and waste collection covered by the household charge I MIGHT pay, at the moment I only receive my water from the council and that’s all I need to pay them for

href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=820897085">John Young I don’t have street lighting, paths or public sewage services. In fact I have no local authority services at all. They can turn off whatever they want.

href="https://www.facebook.com/niall.hogan.315">Niall Hogan I paid stamp duty when I bought my house if the want the household charge tell them to refund me my stamp duty and I’ll gladly pay. As far as I’m concerned I’ve paid it in advance for the next 25 years or more

href="https://www.facebook.com/dermot.shaw.5">Dermot Shaw ”Ž@ John young, I’m in the same boat, excellent point Niall Hogan

href="https://www.facebook.com/johnny.barnewell">Johnny Barnewell If they stopped paying these over paid unaccountable guaranteed wage/salary individuals (from road sweepers to executives) their extortionate out of touch salaries then their books would easily balance. How they justify a bin man on over 70k a year when the average hard working private sector Joe struggles?!?! #gravytrain

href="https://www.facebook.com/ElToten">ElToten KaLero Those who paid should be punished for sheepishly following everything “the authority” says.

href="https://www.facebook.com/davidgreygreen">David Grey Govt argument -Most countries in Europe have a household charge
/> My argument -most countries in Europe include waste pick up, local road maintenance, lighting, sewage processing & other local services!
/> This is just a money grab which discriminates disproportionately against the poorest in society!
/> Wake up sheeples -FG/Lab/FF/GP only care for the wealthy-their policies have proven this!

href="https://www.facebook.com/dec.crowe">Declan Crowe Phil Hogan and the other liars in this government keep reminding people not to break the law relating to this charge. But why don’t they lecture their own about breaking the law? Why don’t they reign in their very own Fine Gael Senator, Fidelma Healy Eames who this year alone has broken the law 3 times. YES SHE BROKE THE LAW 3 TIMES. She was fined for trying to avoid paying a train fare, her car was taken off her by the Gardai for having no tax and she built a garage without planning permission.

href="https://www.facebook.com/fredastareJamie">James Kennedy no we pay enough feck the government

href="https://www.facebook.com/edwards.john.paul">John Edwards Switch off street lamps? Great, now people will be mugged and raped on their walk home. Maybe that’s what the state is counting on, hoping the criminals can simply be fined for their criminal act, while suspending any jail time…

href="https://www.facebook.com/edwina.foley.7">Edwina Foley Paid stamp duty when I bought my house in 2003. Paid 7200 to DLRCC for my planning permission to knock and rebuild

href="https://www.facebook.com/peterwalker1981">Peter Walker turns off the lights. They are annoying anyway. And while they are at it. At night time turn off most of the traffic lights in the country too. Waste of energy having them on.

href="https://www.facebook.com/foxymm">John Fox My annual property management fee pays for the lighting in my estate. This household charge is just another govt. double whammy!

href="https://www.facebook.com/edwina.foley.7">Edwina Foley Plus I paid the household charge!

href="https://www.facebook.com/tkytmannow">Tatjana Kytmannow I have no street lights, no road, no hedge cutting, more than dodgy water supply, no public sewage scheme, no bin collection, and at any storm my electricity and landline are off simultaneously. And no, I don’t live in Ethiopia or on a deserted island but 10 minutes from a city. Household charge, my foot!

href="https://www.facebook.com/dannykenneally">Danny Kenneally Turn em off save energy n the planet thanks big phil!

href="https://www.facebook.com/damian.obrien">Damian O’Brien Turn them off. Then no light pollution and the stars can be seen.

href="https://www.facebook.com/lisa.corr1">Lisa Corr Turn em off I have a torch.

href="https://www.facebook.com/gavin.mooney2">Gavin Mooney It would save on the ESB bill!

href="https://www.facebook.com/tkytmannow">Tatjana Kytmannow Hey, our beloved County Council manager (salary 130k) was there first: threatening to switch of street lighting because our council is broke. And cut the town water off (illegal, they would be sued from here to eternity). I have some ideas how they could save 500k on the quick: get rid of him, and four other vastly overpaid county employees. For starters lol. Household charge, my arse!

href="https://www.facebook.com/Okelly1st">Ciaran O’Kelly Bring back the rates…a fair and simple system

href="https://www.facebook.com/william.carey.31">William Carey most people are broke! Let the people who caused this mess pay the bill.

href="https://www.facebook.com/ger.harrington.9">Ger Harrington Live in the countryside. No lights, no water, no bins.

href="https://www.facebook.com/jimminy.joesephat">Jimminy Joesephat Not a f**king hope am I gonna pay! They can turn off whatever they like; they can also suck my b*lls! They’ve been bleeding us dry, and I have no more to give! F**k them and their f**king charges, f**k them sideways!

href="https://www.facebook.com/trevor.barrett.921">Trevor Barrett Nope

href="https://www.facebook.com/niki.purcell">Niki Purcell Paid stamp duty in 2004 & house worth half the value. So no household charge being paid here

href="https://www.facebook.com/jimwalshwex">Jim Walsh A folks the poor fu**en councillors won’t be able to go away for Paddies day.

href="https://www.facebook.com/Gedlive">Gerry Nolan night time road death rate goes up, coz some politician switched off the lights, when we all leave the country, and will they leave them on for the aliens to see???