Trim man continues hunger strike protest over property tax

Trim man Tony Rochford is vowing to continue his hunger strike protest against the Local Property Tax and is now on his 25th day without food.
Mr Rochford, from Steeple Manor, said he is not feeling too bad but is “getting weaker by the day” and is suffering from low blood pressure. He began his protest on 17th June and spent from Monday of last week to Sunday in Dublin protesting outside the Dail and at O’Connell Street but returned to his Trim home on Sunday evening as he had become very weak, He declared outside the Garden of Remembrance that he does not want medical intervention if he should go into a coma.
Mr Rochford intends to travel back to the Dail tomorrow to protest again and will be taking his protest to O’Connoll Street on Saturday afternoon,
His hunger strike was raised in the Dail on Tuesday by Waterford TD John Halligan and Taoiseach Enda Kenny said he would be willing to meet Mr Rochford but he would need to know the full circumstances of his case.
Speaking to the Meath Chronicle today, Mr Rochford said he did not yet have any contact from the Taoiseach and claimed Enda Kenny “says one thing but does another”.
Mr Rochford is strongly opposed to the property tax and believes homeowners who are behind on their mortgages should not be faced with this extra bill.
He is also strongly critical of the way the tax has been linked to company tax. As a self employed tiler, Mr Rochford said he cannot obtain a tax clearance certificate to allow him to work because he has not paid the property tax. He also said that vat returns or income tax returns won’t be accepted by revenue if he doesn’t pay the property tax and there are penalties for late filing of both.