A Chara, - Brian Cowen has produced a Budget that did more for the lower-paid, the elderly and those on social welfare than any coalition of Labour with Fine Gael ever did - or ever could, given the latter's ideology and support base.
Given the increasing likelihood of Fianna Fáil returning to office, surely it is time for Labour to drop the personality politics and start reconsidering the best way of implementing its policy objectives? If only Ruairi hadn't gone looking for that head. . . - Is mise,
DAVID CARROLL, Castle Gate, Dublin 2.
Madam, - It's hard to see how this Budget represents "an historic breakthrough" in social welfare, as described by the Commission of Religious in Ireland, when the structures which created the gross inequality in our society remain untouched. - Yours, etc,
BRENDAN BUTLER, The Moorings, Malahide, Co Dublin.
Madam, - The media consensus seems to be that first-time home-buyers were the big winners in Wednesday's Budget. Did I miss something? The only shred of comfort they received was an increase in mortgage interest relief, worth an average €800 a year. What Brian Cowen didn't tell us, however, was that €750 of this would be eroded within 24 hours of it being announced, due to a rise in interest rates from the European Central Bank. Like all of the increases in social welfare benefits or tax credits in the Budget, we are given something by one hand only to find it taken away by another.
Why on earth should first-time buyers be grateful for this token gesture? After all, the Government has itself contributed most to their current plight. It scrapped the €3,800 first-time buyers' grant in 2002; it added 1 per cent VAT to the cost of a new house, at a cost of €3,000 to the average first-time buyer; and it increased development levies by an average of €4,000.
After stealing €11,000 from every first-time buyer for the past 5 years, does the Government really expect to be thanked for returning a net €50 per year to them? Mr Cowen made absolutely no attempt to reform stamp duty, and claimed that any attempt to do so would only benefit developers and speculators, at a cost to those purchasing a house.
You can understand my scepticism at the thought that Fianna Fáil would turn down an opportunity to further enrich property developers. Surely this is a first? Developers and speculators have made millions during this Government's 10 years in office, while hard-working families are crippled by huge mortgages.
Perhaps if first-time buyers had as much help as Mr Ahern did when he was buying his house, they might feel a little less aggrieved? - Yours etc,
BARRY WALSH, Brookfield Hall, Castletroy, Limerick.
Madam, - Must our Ministers for Finance continually copy their British counterpart, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on Budget Day by bringing along the family for a photo-shoot? Isn't it time this colonial hangover was ended? - Yours, etc,
TOM COOPER, Delaford Lawn, Knocklyon, Dublin 16.