Why we shouldn’t pay charge

Matt Cooper, (Opinion, Mar 23) patiently explains to us all that, “The gap between what the State is spending annually and taking in tax revenue is not far short of €20bn”.

Against this background, then, he goes on to argue about the dangers of not paying the household charge.

Now, you the reader, are expected to assume that the problem lies in the fact that we are all not paying enough taxes, hence the deficit. In fact, this argument allows the Government to introduce, or rachet up, taxation on anything it can dream up.

At the very same time, the ordinary citizen hears of jobs-for-the-boys as ministers appoint their friends to boards, etc., and even insist that these friends be paid well over the going rate for these jobs, despite a cap on salaries for these positions.

Before the election these same parties acknowledged that we are over-represented by 166 TDs and are also over-represented at local government level.

Add to that the fact that these so-called public servants have contrived to award themselves salaries and expenses, well over the average for even the most wealthy countries around us. I won’t even go into the pensions that they award themselves and how their civilian jobs must be kept open for them.

But, then Mr Cooper finishes his piece by warning us that, “People should be aware that this option of civil disobedience is not open to them”, because the Government has empowered itself to just take the money from us. That is a most dangerous and irresponsible thing to suggest in a democracy, Matt. At a time we are at last hearing that our political system and its elected representatives are corrupt, Matt effectively tells us to do the honest thing and pay up. And if we don’t, he explains that they can use force to make us comply.

That, Mr Cooper, is a description of a dictatorship.

Are you trying to start a revolution?

John Mallon

Mayfield

Cork