The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland's cross-community party

 David Ford

Ford blasts Minister on rates comments

9.45.13am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 15th Jun 2006

Portrait-yellow: FORD David (photography: Allan Leonard)

Alliance Party Leader, David Ford

Alliance Party Leader David Ford has blasted direct-rule Minister David Hanson, after the Minister claimed Alliance backed the Government's rates policy.

David Ford stated: "The Minister's comments are entirely false. If he believes these are our views, he has been seriously misled.

"The Alliance Party's calls for a local income tax bear no relation to the Government's new rating system, and our Councillors have spoken out against it in Council chambers and local media up and down Northern Ireland. We believe in a fair system of rating and taxation.

"Perhaps if the Secretary of State actually allowed us to debate a few things in the Assembly, instead of running scared from what the representatives of the people of Northern Ireland have to say, his Ministers might be able to hear our real views!"

ENDS

NOTE: David Ford was responding to comments by the Minister on the BBC's _Good Morning Ulster_ programme.

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