Sir, – This week the ESRI released a report claiming that “additional measures will be required beyond 2028″, on top of the existing five years of PRSI increases being imposed on the Irish taxpayer.
In the same week, the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has voiced concerns about oversight of spending, stating that “at the end of May spending was €1.1 billion over budget”. Even more worryingly, in its fiscal assessment report it attributed this to “poor budgeting”.
One wonders why the first solution of State bodies always seems to be to tax the general population more rather than ensure existing taxpayer funds are spent in a more efficient manner.
It is hard to see the logic in taking yet more funds from the hard-pressed taxpayer when it is clear that existing revenue is not being used efficiently and there is a serious lack of oversight of spending.
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We currently have a “taxation commission” whose default solution seems to be to increase taxes, and one wonders why there is no corresponding “spending commission”, given the serious overruns in spending highlighted by the Fiscal Council. – Yours, etc,
RUARY MARTIN,
Sandyford,
Dublin 18.
