HUGO BRADY BROWN,
Sir, - I see that the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, has found it unexpectedly necessary to insist on Government Departments slashing their budgets to try to give an air of legitimacy to the Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrat gloss on the Government's fiscal pickle.
The overseas aid budget has been slashed, months after the Taoiseach accepted the innocent applause of the General Assembly of the UN, which trusted his statement about increasing the budget. In addition to the assault on the destitute abroad, the assault on the poor at home has continued with huge increases on the charges on the sick and injured in hospital casualty departments.
Social exclusion was further bolstered by the almost surreptitious reimposition of university fees. This is to say nothing about the absence of moral courage in increasing all these financial burdens on the poor while the TDs are on holidays.
Instead of assaulting the poor of Ireland and of impoverished countries, would it be possible to consider a few other tax impositions which might alleviate the problems of the Minister who urged us so recently to "party" like there was no tomorrow?
What about reverting to a sane level of taxation on gambling on horses? What about considering a touch of realistic taxation on the Ansbacher defaulters and their likes? What about thinking the unthinkable and deriving some life-saving revenue from the so-called bloodstock industry? What, indeed, about rethinking the obscene expenditure on that Coliseum and those Diocletian Baths in Abbotstown? I think we would all be prepared to accord our political leader immortality if we had the Bertie Health Service in place of the Bertie Bowl. - Yours, etc.,
HUGO BRADY BROWN, Stratford on Slaney, Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.