SVP appeal - Time for Government to help poor

GIVING the lie to political spin portraying poverty as a thing of the past in this country, the Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) distributed a whopping €41.3 million last year helping people in need.

Contrary to the PD philosophy that a rising tide lifts all boats, the reality is that the gap between rich and poor is widening.

While the grinding impoverishment of the 1980s and 1990s no longer prevails, an insidious form of poverty is hitting thousands of people.

As a result, the society’s expenditure last year was up 6.6% on 2004 and it doled out €794,0000 a week in family aid.

With demand increasing, requests for help are now running at 300,000 a year.

Nor is hardship confined to the poor. Reflecting the inequities of this Government’s policies, people earning over €32,000 a year end up paying 42% tax while a golden circle can avoid paying any tax.

If the SVP had more money it could do much more and its fund-raising appeal, which starts on Sunday, warrants generous support.

Let us hope that Finance Minister Cowen will be more heedful in next Wednesday’s Budget of the many people who are barely surviving on the edge of one of Europe’s richest economies.