Myths and mantras

IT was with great interest that I read Fergus Finlay’s article (Opinion, Nov 29) on tax rates in Ireland v the EU average. He makes a valid argument.

However, in the spirit of clarity and openness perhaps it is time that when commentators make comparisons between Ireland and other countries, they take all costs associated with life into account.

This would require an analysis of not just tax rates but the cost of living index, services delivered by the public, etc to fully understand our social system. If I am to pay Nordic tax rates then I want to know what services I should expect in return.