Sir, – Pat Rabbitte (Opinion, May 2nd) is correct that the ESRI analysis of Budget 2012 does not show the full impact of all measures taken by the Government.
Nonetheless it is the most comprehensive independent analysis to date of the impact of the budget on income inequality. It takes into account the impact of social welfare cuts, VAT increases, tax changes and levies on income. It shows that Budget 2012 is the most regressive budget in many years, proportionately targeting low income households more than four times as much as the most affluent households. – Yours, etc,