Sir, – The Government's latest deferral of a local property tax (LPT) increase tells us what many had always suspected; this tax is not, and was never intended to be, a "wealth tax" ("Property tax: Lower value homes could face some of the largest increases", News, April 3rd).
Proposals to increase the tax on “small rural homes” of low value, while protecting the owners of high-value property, and a refusal to exempt low-income households, suggest that the LPT can now be accurately described as a “ghetto tax”. – Yours, etc,
JIM O’SULLIVAN,
Rathedmond,
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Sligo.
Sir, – The local property tax should take account of people’s ability to pay as illness or death or redundancy can greatly affect a household’s income. This tax will be discredited if the tax on property keeps rising in line with property prices and incomes are not increasing in line with that. The principle of a property tax is a good one provided we see improved services and it is updated regularly.
PAYE taxpayers face very high marginal tax rates; a single person has a marginal tax rate of 48.5 per cent when you add PAYE, USC and PRSI on incomes above €33,800, and a marginal rate of 52 per cent on income above €70,000. We all pay 23 per cent VAT and considerable tax in purchasing and running a car. Let all tax be fair and equitable and let everyone carry a fair share.
In addition, we all pay a €160 TV licence. Could this be abolished and replaced with a simple €80 annual entertainment levy administered via PAYE and self-employed tax on all taxpayers ? – Yours, etc,
PETER DOYLE,
Castletroy,
Limerick.