Loophole that cost taxpayers €3m

TAXPAYERS could have saved more than €3 million last year if politicians were allowed to avail of a special discount on postage stamps offered by An Post.

Almost €15 million was spent on stamps by candidates for Dáil and Seanad elections in 2007 to send out almost 26,000 items of campaign material to households.

Candidates are entitled to post this material free of charge and the cost is then recouped by An Post from the exchequer under legislation introduced in 1992.