Poor must pay for the excesses of the rich

THE poor and less-well-off are now picking up the tab for the lifestyles of the rich and famous during the Celtic Tiger period with the budget hammering their already inadequate incomes.

It is a kick in the teeth for all those on low and middle incomes.

Finance Minister Brian Lenihan likes to suggest we are all in this economic crisis together, but the fact is only a minority of Fianna Fáil’s special interest lobby made fortunes in recent years.