Email regarding Household charge - The truth

Most people on the Internet (in Ireland) will have seen this email purporting to be from McGann Fitzgerland, and has been distributed over the world wide web and soicial networks.

Firstly here is a copy of the email.

Secondly lets examine it.

1) Its printed on "nice" paper despite it purporting to be an email.

2) There is an introduction to this email/letter by a third party.

3) No heading or introduction by purported authors.

4) Does not follow proper format for a document of this type.

5) Purported Author is not named after body of document.

6) I have never seen an email stating "this email is from" as a footer.

7) Header states its a "Note" and footer states its an "email".

8) The content is absolute gibberish and has not a shred of information that has any legal standing whatsoever.

"This household charge is a Statute, otherwise known as an Act of Government and only carries the force of law upon you if you consent to it… a statutory instrument is a contract. If you register for this “charge” you are consenting to this statute i.e. signing the contract."

"The courts know this and the last thing they will do is tell you. In fact they will hide this from you at every opportunity they can. On the other hand, if you tell them, they will accept it because they know it is actually true"


This is complete nonsense, and is based on "the Freeman on the land" theory.  This theory insists that only the common law applies to individuals, but that laws made by the governments or parliaments are only invitations to contract.

No freeman arguments have ever succeeded in court; some have even explicitly ruled that the term "freeman on the land" has no legal significance when the argument is raised

Freeman ideas are so far-out that even arch-crackpot Alex Jones thinks they're "quackery"

In short it is a Law and it is binding!


9) McGann Fitzgerald have stated its a fake.

Statement from McCann FitzGerald

23 February 2012

McCann FitzGerald has learnt that a memorandum/e-mail purporting to come from the firm and relating to Household Charges is currently being distributed in social and other media. The memorandum/e-mail is not a McCann FitzGerald document, it has not been prepared by the firm, and it does not express a legal opinion of the firm.
We are investigating how our name has come to be associated with the memorandum/e-mail.
We would advise all media that they should not distribute, or permit the distribution of, this memorandum/e-mail.
For further information please contact Colette Campbell, WHPR, 01 669 0030.