Why the pension levy will never go away

THE worst aspect of the controversial public sector pension levy, apart from the blatant unfairness of a lower paid public servant on €22,000 having to pay anything at all, is its permanence.

I’ve little doubt the majority of public servants, if they believed this would make a real, meaningful difference to the country’s long-term stability, and despite the fact they are blameless in relation to the cause of the current crisis, would actually be prepared to take the hit on a short-term basis.

However, this is not what’s on the table. The levy will not be revisited once the economy perks up again. This is a preordained agenda.