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Campaign at boiling point |
Umbrellas sent to Ofwat and deliver by hand to Gordon BrownRain Tax campaigners, DontDrainUs.org, have sent umbrellas to the Chairman of Ofwat, the Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Environment and the CEO’s of water companies, in protest over the ‘rain tax’ which is set to drain £100 million from Churches, charities, schools and clubs. The umbrellas have a message printed on them asking the recipient to “Don’t Drain Us”. This week, anti-‘rain tax’ campaigns are set to reach boiling point as General Synod, the Church of England’s parliament, debates it at Westminster. The Chairman of Ofwat will be present at the debate as he is a member of the Synod. Also present will be a number of MPs, fellow ‘rain tax’ campaigners including representatives from sports clubs, scouts and churches across the UK. Questions are expected to be asked at Prime Minsters Questions, sports clubs are planning more action, as are Village Hall associations. The Downing Street petition against the ‘rain tax’ is the most popular with over 41,000 signatures. A spokesperson for DontDrainUs.org said, “For over a year now we have been warning Government, Ofwat and the water companies about the drain the ‘rain tax’ is having on the work of churches, charities, schools and clubs. They all blame each other for the mess, which seems to mean that no one can sort it. In the mean time, churches, charities and clubs are planning to start cutting their work and reduce resources in order to pay £100 million worth of bills demanded by water companies for their shareholders. The umbrellas are gifts— a unique reminder of what damage they are doing to every community in the UK and a special plea not to drain us.” Martin Dales said, “It is an outrage and totally unacceptable. Over 41,000 people have signed the petition on the Prime Minister's website and there has been no response from him or any other Minister at all. It is quite simple in my view: the legislation needs changing, a charity band created, and OFWAT needs to adhere to both the spirit and the letter of the Guidance from DEFRA. Then we can all get on with our jobs of trying to help the young and old, the most disadvantaged and the vulnerable in our society. This new rain tax is an unnecessary burden and drain on resources at the very time when charitable support is needed most in this harsh economic climate." Martin will move a motion at the Synod, the Church of England’s parliament, on Wednesday 11th at 2.30 pm. His motion says, "That this Synod, concerned about the effect on many parishes of sudden, massive rises in water charges for churches, requests HM Government to remind OFWAT of its obligations to ensure that the water companies adhere to the clear guidance given by the Secretary of State for the Environment in 2000, which states that “there are many non-household users who are not businesses….including places of worship…. and it would be inappropriate to charge all non-household customers as if they were businesses”. |
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info@dontdrainus.orgHotline 0709 2847134 |
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General Synod member, Martin Dales, delivers an umbrella to Prime Minister Gordon Brown |
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