Homeowners could be facing an annual charge of €175 for their water within two years, it has been reported.
The Fine Gael/Labour government will not meet its target to have meters installed in every home in the country by next year, according to a report in the Irish Independent.
Instead it is set to introduce a flat rate annual fee per house regardless of the household income, the newspaper said citing a senior Government source.
As part of the EU/IMF bailout conditions, the State is required to start charging for domestic water within two years.
Work on the metering programme, which will take four years to complete, has not yet commenced.