Sir, – Thomas Morris (Letters, December 16th) is the latest contributor offering caution to those who harbour a desire to see a united Ireland.
To make his case, Mr Morris paints a picture of what taxation in a unified Ireland would look like, using Denmark as a comparison.
Mr Morris’s decision to use the high taxation levels in Denmark to soften unity aspirations could well be counter-productive. Had he looked a little closer, he would have noticed that the high taxation there pays for far more than the “defence” on which he focused in his letter.
What the Danes get for their taxes is impressive by any measure. Here’s a few examples. Their education system is the envy of the world. Not only is it free, but each university student receives a monthly allowance to cover cost of living. New parents can enjoy up to 52 weeks of paid leave when they have a child. The mother is entitled to four weeks prior to the birth, and 14 weeks afterwards. The father is entitled to two weeks following the birth, and then an additional 32 weeks can be split between both parents. On top of this, childcare is subsidised with parents paying no more than 30 per cent of costs.
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Denmark’s health policy is centred on the goal of achieving universal access to healthcare. The principle is to provide equal healthcare to all, free at the point of delivery.
When citizens reach retirement age, the welfare state provides them with a generous pension under a system where their wellbeing is constantly monitored by the state to see if any additional help is required.
It is no wonder that, in Denmark, it is widely considered that the vast benefits afforded by the welfare system greatly outweigh the high taxes.
Indeed, if such a regime was on offer here, not only would the Border disappear post-haste, Dublin would have to deal with applications to join from many regions within the UK that find themselves constantly left behind when it comes to London sharing out the spending for goods and services. – Yours, etc,
JIM O’SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
Sligo.