Paul Murphy, Anti Austerity Alliance TD, has responded to late payment messages from Irish Water and argues against misinformation and rumours.

Irish Water is sending these out at a fierce rate now. Who do you think is paying the bill for all these threatening texts?

Having failed to get more than 50% to pay the water charges, with no mechanism to take the money off people, they are reduced to fear, fear and more fear. Texts, phone calls, threatening letters – it’s all they have to persuade people to pay.

We have to get the message out – don’t panic and don’t pay.

Four key pieces of information:

1. Yes, in July 2016 if water charges still exist, they will add an extra €30 or €60 as a penalty to your bill if you haven’t paid. But they can’t get it off you anymore than they could get the almost €200 that most people owe now!

2. They can’t deduct water charges from wages, social welfare or pensions. Despite all the scaremongering out there, and despite its repetition by some people who oppose water charges but who don’t support the boycott, they cannot take it off us.

3. The only thing they can do is when people owe €500, they could start a court process, which involves two court cases, which eventually could result in an attachment order. But the court services themselves have said they would be completely clogged up if they go down that road. If we stick together and don’t pay, this court action can’t break non-payment, like it couldn’t break it in the 1990s, when non-payment won.

4. If water charges remain, they will jump to an average of €500 per family when the cap is lifted in 2019. An average adult (based on using 148 litres per day, which is a Department of Environment figure) will owe €200 a year. Just look at the green bin charges – we know if they get it in, it will only go up and our water will be privatised.