Ordinary public sector workers unfairly hit

I WISH to express my outrage at the proposed massive cuts in public sector pay which will hit low income families.

The facts are that 48.7% of public service workers earn less than the average industrial wage of €32,000.

They have to pay mortgages, childcare, medical and other expenses. The ordinary public servant has now lost an average of €100 per week.

We have had no pay increase, a moratorium on recruitment and now more pay cuts on top of the 7% pension levy last April.

Why are the 1,400 who earn more than €2 million a year and the 4,000 who earn more than €500,000 annually not being hit? What about the property tycoons, top bankers, etc. What did they pay?

The proposed €200,000 tax on our billionaire tax exiles is a joke. Apparently they play a round of golf for that sum. The 2007 Bank of Ireland wealth survey revealed that the richest 1% of the population had quadrupled their wealth to €100 billion, excluding their residential property, topping it up to €170bn.

Did the finance minister forget about taxing these people on budget day?

Most public servants are now in dire circumstances with many already applying for family income supplement and many more quitting their private health insurance.

Here in Tralee alone there are more than 3,000 public servants. I estimate it will take a minimum of €15.6 million out of the local economy and create further job losses in the private sector.

Teddy Foley

St John’s Park

Tralee

Co Kerry