Protestors from Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty are due to converge on the City of Edinburgh Council meeting this Thursday morning, as the latest stage in the resistance to the Council's new hard-line policy on Council Tax arrears. On 11th November the Council decided to threaten another 12,377 citizens with bankruptcy if they didn't pay off their arrears within a year.

Mary Byrne of ECAP told Indymedia: “ We are determined to resist this injustice.  We won't be intimidated by the Council bullies!”

“The sheriff officers have limited powers and cannot cope with chasing tens of thousands of people - remember how people power beat the Poll Tax! Come and join us at 9.30am on Thursday at the City Chambers."

The demonstration details are.....

WE STOP THE SHERIFF!
Resist the unfair Council Tax!
Resist the unfair Council policy of threatening thousands of people in arrears with sequestration!
Demonstrate at the council meeting
Thursday 5th Feb 2009
9.30am City of Edinburgh Council meeting, City Chambers, High St, Edinburgh
Organised by Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty

Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty write:

The Council Tax is widely recognised as being unfair, disproportionately hitting those on low and average incomes.  Most people on benefits are supposed to pay water and sewage charges from £252 to £632 per year, while low paid workers are supposed to pay far more than they can afford.  Meanwhile the rich use loads of lawyers to avoid paying tax.

Despite the Council Tax being due for abolition, on 11th November the City of Edinburgh Council  adopted a new policy of threatening 15,000 people in arrears with sequestration.  They are trying to force these people to pay off their arrears within a year, clearly impossible for most, as the arrears often run into thousands of pounds.  This unjust policy is even crazier when we consider that the Council is run by a LibDem/SNP coalition - both these parties advocate the abolition of the Council Tax, but are hounding people who cant afford it!

We are determined to resist this injustice.  We are coming to this Council meeting to send a clear message.  

We won't be intimidated by the Council bullies!

Know your rights
- don't tell the sheriffs or council anything about your bank account or work
- avoid holding any savings in the main banks
- in the unlikely event sheriffs come to your door, don't let them in and don't talk to them.  They have NO legal power to force entry to your home without obtaining an Exceptional Attachment Order in court - which is very rare

"If you receive a "debt threat" letter from the Council or the sheriff officers, don't be panicked into paying more than you can afford, get advice and support from ECAP or a similar independent group.

We demand the Council drop their new policy of threatening people with sequestration.

We oppose the Council's policy of cutting back vital services in communities, including in nurseries and education, in important community projects like those in north Edinburgh, and in the support of people with learning disabilities, whose service is under threat through being put out to competitive tender, effectively putting vunerable adults up for sale to the lowest bidder.

Society has the resources to have good services without hounding the poor to pay unaffordable taxes - billions were soon found to bail out bankers, while billions fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A NETWORK OF SOLIDARITY

Join the  Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty solidarity phone tree - we are creating a network of people ready to turn up to combat sheriffs and other perpetrators of injustice.

Bad conditions at work, redundancies, harassment by debt collectors, benefits cuts, soaring electricity and gas bills, rip-off landlords and housing problems - as the crazy capitalist system goes into crisis, things are getting worse for the vast majority of us. But through Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty and other grass-roots organising, people can join together to combat these problems and the profit-mad system which causes them.

Don't suffer in isolation, don't accept being ripped-off.  Let's join together to stand up for our needs.  There is something we can do about these injustices - we have won many victories against the authorities.

We hold drop-in advice and solidarity sessions every tuesday 1-4pm at the Autonomous Centre of Edinburgh, 17 West Montgomery Place EH7 5HA 0131 557 6242 - Ansaphone plus staffed tues 1-4pm.  e mail ecap@lists.riseup.net   To join the solidarity phone tree please send us your e mail and mobile/ landline numbers, to join the announcements e mail list please send your e mail address.

http://www.edinburghagainstpoverty.org.uk