Sir, – I am dismayed to hear the Government’s continued emphasis on tax cuts for the “squeezed middle” who get up early every day and pay for everything through their taxes.
I am in my 60s and have worked in both the public and private sectors for over 37 years.
My wife travels to work in Dublin every day by train, leaving home at 6.30am and returning at 7.45pm. We are both PAYE workers and have private health insurance.
We have a 12-year-old car, have paid off our mortgage and have been fortunate to have been able to fully educate our three oldest children. Our youngest is still at school and will require our support for some years to come.
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We do not want tax cuts; we have no problem working hard and paying taxes for the services that we and every other person in the country needs. We want want an end to the housing problem and the proper provision of affordable social housing; an end to the unjust two-tier health service and the development of a service based on medical need, not ability to pay.
We want our taxes to be used to create a more just society, which would be a more worthwhile legacy for this Government than a tax cut. – Yours, etc,
JIM RHATIGAN ,
Tipperary.
Sir, – Your editorial (September 20th) reviews the competing party political claims on the forthcoming budget.
Surely, against the background of an underfunded dysfunctional health service, a homelessness crisis, and a water and sewage system in desperate need of modernisation, there is absolutely no case for easing the tax burden at any level.
Lest we forget, our national debt stands at €200 billion, and basic housekeeping dictates we must first put our house in order before even contemplating a reduction in any tax.
It is time the politicians learned to take the hard decisions necessary to run a modern democracy without peering ahead to the next general election.
I think I’m whistling in the wind! – Yours, etc,
MIKE CORMACK,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.