Fairer tax system needed, not self-interest

It was profoundly sad to read the comments (Irish Examiner, Apr 22) of the president of the United States Chamber of Commerce, Thomas Donohue, suggesting that Ireland would be “a damn fool” to give in to demands to change the low corporate tax rate, or to create a fairer taxation system by increasing taxes on those with incomes above €100K. Greed and unabashed self-interest are alive and well.

But how does Mr Donohue suggest we tackle the great hardship that people here are now experiencing? An example would be the reported 1,800 households having gas and electricity cut off each month, and the numbers of children falling into poverty reaching alarming levels — all of this while we have low effective tax rates. Indeed, recent reports show that the effective corporate tax here is as low as 6%. And by way of back-up to these comments came the threat that if we introduce a fairer tax system, those with wealth would move away and inward investment would drop.

So it seems that to hold on to some jobs we must agree to live in a country that is riven between those with plenty, while fellow citizens must scrimp and scrape just to survive — a move from a place where the moral compass is temporarily broken to one where there is no aspiration to adhere to any such standards at all.