SBP editorial: Irish Water needs €2bn to stave off our own Day Zero

When water charges were introduced, the government mantra was that they were needed to pay for the upgrade of the crumbling water infrastructure. But the opponents of water charges argued that it could all be paid for from “general taxation”.

Now that water charges have been effectively abolished, that claim is about to be put to the test. The government is finalising its €115 billion capital plan for the next ten years. Irish ...