Government waste the issue – not judges’ levy

THE storm over judges’ contributions to the pension levy is surely the greatest red herring to have been wheeled out since the beginning of the economic crisis.

It has had the convenient effect of diverting some blame away from the Government for a number of days, scapegoating a very small group of people and grossly misrepresenting the status of the scheme put in place for voluntary contributions by the judiciary.

Doing the maths on this issue should put it into perspective.

There are 148 judges in the state, each earning an average of €200,000 per annum. If each of them decides to contribute voluntarily to the exchequer at the appropriate pension levy rate (9.4%), then the state will save the princely sum of €2.8m per annum. Where does this €2.8m stand when compared with a likely budget deficit of €10bn for 2009? Or the €4bn pumped into Anglo Irish Bank by the Government last month?

Or the countless billions which are likely to be wasted on the NAMA white elephant? Mr Justice Murray was correct to make the rare intervention that he did. It is astonishing that the media and some politicians are so willing to be taken in by minor distractions such as this when the real waste of public money on a criminal scale continues unabated by the Government.

Barry Walsh

Brooklawn

Clontarf

Dublin 3