ATM Charge Proposals Panned

Proposals by Fianna Fail's Justice Minister Dermot Ahern to introduce charges for ATM withdrawls have been met with wide criticism, and accusations of being a "cynical distraction".

Mr Ahern's suggestion came on the heel of yesterday's robbery of an AIB branch and the abduction of a bank official's wife. The Justice Minister charges would discourage people from using cash and reduce pressure on banks to hold large amounts of it.

However, the Labour Party's Pat Rabbitte TD said the proposal showed the Government was "out of touch".

Speaking this morning, Minister Ahern said: "Just when you think that it is not possible for the members of this government to show themselves to be any more out of touch with the man or woman in the street, up comes Dermot Ahern with a proposal to penalise ordinary bank customers in order to combat tiger kidnappings!

"Minister Ahern’s proposition that increasing charges on ordinary bank customers will reduce the number of tiger raids is a cynical distraction. If he wants to reduce the amount of cash in circulation, why does he not press the banks to reduce the charges they impose for virtually all non cash transactions?"

Fine Gael's Justice spokesman Alan Shatter also strongly criticised the suggestion calling it a "kidnapper's tax", adding that Mr Ahern had decided to hand the State over to the crime bosses.

Mr Shatter described the Minister's suggestion as a bizarre, startling and grossly insensitive response to yesterday's events, which resulted in €300k being stolen from an AIB bank outlet in County Wicklow.

The Irish Bank Officials’ Association (IBOA) also warned against an increase in ATM charges, saying it would be more advisable to incentivise customers to look at going to a more plastic society than a cash society.

(DW/KMcA)