Madam, - The Government appears ready to scrap the existing limit of 65,000 sq ft on the size of retail stores to allow for the introduction of 300,000-sq-ft megastores.
The Consumers Association is arguing that the removal of the limit would do nothing to bring down prices and would instead destroy many jobs.
Local shops cannot easily compete with stores that have motorway access routes provided free by the State. Thousands of jobs would be lost in the distribution chain as Irish consumers become the responsibility of a North of England supply system.
These megastores go against the best international planning practice. They can be reached only by car and are an environmental and transport disaster, as motorways leading to them invariably become clogged with traffic. They would kill off our traditional high-street shops and make a mockery of the National Spatial Strategy, which never envisaged half the country heading to the M50 for their weekly shop.
The Tánaiste is also considering allowing retailers to again engage in below-cost selling. This makes sense only if you want to build up monopoly powers, which in the long run will lead to the fleecing of Irish consumers. Competition is welcome, but not when it is unfair.
The Government parties seem to think that a Walmart at the edge of every city could be a cure to our rampant inflation. They would be better advised to review the VAT increases and stealth taxes of the past year and never again repeat the inflationary fiscal policy that came with their purchase of the last election. - Yours, etc.,
EAMON RYAN, TD, (Green Party), Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.