Come April there will be just one year to go before water charges are introduced. That means there will be one year to build a campaign that can defeat these charges.

The We Wont Pay Campaign is calling on people to refuse to pay the charges if and when they are introduced.

People should not pay for a number of reasons.

Firstly, because the proposed charge is double taxation. We already pay for water in our rates. In fact about 37% of our rates goes to water. Our rate bill is going up not down; Peter Hain has announced a 19% increase for next year. Yet, on top of this, he expects us to pay again for our water.

Secondly, because the charge is not about improving the water service as the government claim. It is about preparing our water service for future privatisation.

Thirdly, because we just can’t afford this extra tax. We are being hit not just with increased rates but with massive rises in all utility charges. Electricity prices are going up, Phoenix gas has just announced a massive hike. In fact it seems that everything is going up except wages!

Finally, we should not pay because non payment is the most effective way to defeat the government on this issue.

We have to organise demonstrations, pickets and protests to get the message of our opposition across, but in the end the thing that will force the government to rethink will the fact that tens of thousands of people refuse to pay.

It was mass non payment that defeated Margaret Thatcher over the poll tax. During the 1990s, the government in the South was defeated over water charges when tens of thousands of people in Dublin refused to pay.

From April, the We Wont Pay Campaign will be stepping up a gear. This new phase of the Campaign will be launched on 1 April with a protest at Belfast City Hall. All the local campaign groups are now starting to prepare for this protest. Areas outside Belfast are also considering organising pickets and protests in April to mark the fact that there will be just one year to go until the charges come in.

Now is the time to get active in the Campaign. Set up a We Wont Pay group in your area if one doesn’t already exist. Get people along to the 1 April protest and build from there to make sure that, if the government introduces the charges, they will not be able to implement them.

For more information, or to get involved, contact the We Won't Pay Campaign today on 07743282321 or 90311778.

This April will mark the 12-month countdown to the introduction of water charges and the privatisation of the water service into what will become known as Northern Ireland Water Ltd.

Facing massive opposition, the government were forced to postpone the introduction of the hated charges for a year. This was because they were way behind in preparing the infrastructural requirements for privatisation.

But the very real danger of mass non-payment of water charges was also a key reason. Opinion polls have shown that 85% of people across the North say they will refuse to pay water charges.

In the first four years after privatisation, water bills in England rose by over 50%. Only the fat cats benefited. The profits of the ten water companies rose 147% between 1990 and 1997.

The disconnection rate for those who could not afford to pay water charges tripled in the first five years, with 18,636 households disconnected in 1994. The government was forced to outlaw disconnection of water after the public outcry.

Last year alone charges increased by 12% on average in Britain. One in five householders are now in debt to the water monopolies. This has also led to water companies taking people to court, where repossessions can follow.

Some organisations like Help the Aged recently applauded Peter Hain's announcement of a cap on water charge for the poorest pensioners. According to the government, this will mean that the poorest pensioners and householders will pay no more than 3% of their income on water.

This is classic New Labour spin - what this really means is that the poorest of the poor will face a 3% cut in income. In any case this “cap” is temporary. After the service is privatised, this policy will be ditched. This was the case in the South after the bin service was privatised in Limerick, when a special “waiver” scheme was put in place to protect low-income households, but was scrapped by the private company.

Big parts of the water service have in fact already been privatised through the outsourcing of work to private multi-national companies. To oversee the completion of privatisation, the government have appointed Chris Mellor as the new Chairman of the Water Service. Mr. Mellor was CEO of Anglian Water up until 2003 and is a non-executive director and adviser to several other private companies who are heavily involved in the water industry. Mr. Mellor will be paid up to £45,000 a year and only has to work 3-4 days a month!

The We Won't Pay Campaign is confident that water charges can be defeated. To do this it is necessary to step up the Campaign over the next year. All communities need to be organised on a local level. The Non-Payment pledge needs to be circulated and signed by every household. The Campaign will be organising community meetings in the coming weeks to prepare this work.

If you would like to get involved, contact the We Won't Pay Campaign today on 07743282321 or 90311778.

Newry "will not pay"!

The We Won’t Pay Campaign is really starting to take off in Newry. Stalls in the town centre have received overwhelming support. Local activists are now considering a protest rally in April to help bring home to people that there is just one year to go before these charges come in.

The local Campaign is also in the process of establishing local estate groups which will link up to co-ordinate action.

If this type of work can be duplicated right across the North, the charges can be defeated.