People Before Profit Councillor Gino Kenny has called on South Dublin County Council for clarification linking the non payment of the household tax to access to higher educational grants that the council allocates to students attending third level education.

Councillor Kenny said “Any notion that the children of people who have made a conscious decision not to pay the household tax to the granting of higher educational grants is frankly outrageous and absurd. Any council that decides to take this method of blackmail and collective punishment is playing with fire.

The granting of educational grants should completely independent of any fiscal history with the council. For example if a tenant owes rent arrears to the council, is the council going to suggest that the children of the tenant will be punished by withholding third level educational grants.

“The idea that any institution of the state can essentially brow beat people into paying the household tax by putting the idea that their children will be discriminated when it came to educational grants or anything else for that matter is blatantly income discriminative.

I will be asking SDCC for clarification on the matter and do they intend to follow suit of Clare and South Tipperary County Councils in relation to the higher educational grants.”