Come on Ivan, a bit more balance please
ISuffering in silence is not good for the soul or much else. But I wonder if Ivan’s repeated glaring prejudice regarding how our fiscal woes ought to be addressed, and specifically who should carry the burden, is pointed out to him might he try harder to achieve balance?
In his piece of January 12 he has a go at the Government for pursuing a policy that is obviously at variance with what he thinks ought to be done and he specifically mentions pledges to honour commitments regarding maintaining, “... the current rates of income tax, together with bands and credits. We will not increase the top marginal rates of taxes on income… We will maintain social welfare rates … and adherence to the Croke Park Agreement.” He then goes on and spends a paragraph telling us why welfare will have to be cut and fails to mention the glaring need, not only for revenue purposes, but also in the interest of fairness and justice, to increase taxation on all high-end income, including within the public service.
I would advocate that all public servants, including the Taoiseach, should take no more than €100,000 per annum, a king’s ransom still, for the duration of this emergency. Needless to say, all ex-politicians on pensions should receive no more than twice the state pension payable, and only at age 66. My great fear is that grossly unfair policies will be pursued by default and this will add to our problems, in a a society where the socio-economic divide is made even wider; as has happened thus far in this depression. The vast majority of people in this country will endure austerity for a proscribed period but only on the basis that it is fair, that the most vulnerable are protected, and those at the other end have their income meaningfully capped. There has to be a relationship that all can see and understand between both ends. Unfairness and injustice is a dangerous practice.
Jim O’Sullivan
Rathedmond,
Sligo.
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