This Government doesn’t add up

A government that is unable to ascertain, by mathematical calculation, that the State pension has been untouched, is unlikely to be able to manage Ireland Ltd.

The telephone allowance has gone from €22.58 per month to zero. Prescription charges have risen from zero to €2.50 per item. Consider the pensioner who needs a variety of medicines per month. The fuel allowance for the least well-off has been cut by €120 per annum. The bereavement grant is ending.

How can any government minister keep a straight face and say that the State pension has been protected from cuts? Also, the elderly will have to pay for property tax and water charges from their meagre pensions, as will the many lowly paid people who will become pensioners in the future. Any form of taxation on ‘essentials to life’ must go, as it is unjust and unfair, and places a greater burden on the less well-off.