Sir, – Thank you for publishing the analysis of the high earners in the education sector, university by university (Education Today, December 6th).
Would it be possible to do a similar analysis of the high earners in the health sector, hospital by hospital, ie a list of all those hospital consultants who earn over €150,000 a year from their work in public hospitals, and the administrative and HSE staff who fall into that category?
You have reported that almost 17,500 State workers earned over €100,000 in 2009, and that this elite group included hospital consultants, university professors, politicians and top civil servants.
If the approximately 35,000 State workers who earned over €80,000 in 2009 had to pay an extra five per cent in income tax, this would generate a minimum of €175 million for the exchequer.
Of course, the Croke Park agreement will have to be revisited, and the sooner the better. These high salaries from the public purse cannot be justified in these hard times, especially if, as your Editorial states (December 7th), public sector wages and pensions on this small island are 50 per cent higher than in comparable European countries.
I know we live in a meritocracy where people are entitled to be rewarded commensurately for their years of study and academic achievements, but in recent years this measurement has not been in touch with reality, considering the size of the country and our relative insignificance.
If the high earners, both in the public and private sectors, paid their fair share of taxes in line with the tax rates prevailing in comparable European countries, it would make Ireland a fairer country and would ensure that there would be no need to target low earners and other vulnerable groups in future budgets over the next few years. – Yours, etc,