Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas, so why would our politicians?

Brendan Casserly (Letters, May 4) suggests that TDs should receive an annual travel allowance (paid monthly) based on the distance from the Dáil to their constituency.

He comments that it is unlikely that politicians would accept such a zonal system.

Brendan, this is the current system!

Politicians receive generous travel allowances paid monthly depending on where they live.

After the Callely debacle, I suspect any TD giving an address not in, or convenient for, his constituency will be challenged. Allowances vary from €12,000 pa (Dublin) to over €38,000 pa. This system is unacceptable.

Our taxes are being used to pay unvouched expenses which may have no relation to the costs actually incurred. In particular, the payment of €12,000 to Dublin TDs is outrageous.

We ‘ordinary’ workers pay our own travel costs to work.

Prior to this allowance system, politicians submitted claim forms detailing mileage, dates, etc. This was much more appropriate.

The ‘reform’ of unvouched travel and other allowances was introduced in Mar 2010 and has not been changed by the new government. Why would they change it? Turkeys don’t vote for Christmas.

Enid O’Dowd

Ranelagh

Dublin 6