Madam, – Let’s have a referendum about Nama. It will force politicians to explain it to us and to justify it with cogent argument.
Why would we allow them to ram it through with the help of a few fairweather friends? That is not good government or democracy. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – In advance of the Commission on Taxation’s report being debated at Cabinet, it would appear an appropriate time to change the policy of tax individualisation introduced in budget 2000 by Charlie McCreevy, when he was minister for finance. The consequence of Mr Creevy’s tax policy of individualisation was to introduce a financial prejudice against families with children where one spouse chooses to stay at home and care for children.
Tax rate bands were set to individual rates for double income families on the basis that more people were at work and the notion of family obligations should be disregarded by the tax authorities.
However, in the current economic climate and the rising level of unemployment predicted to reach 15 per cent in 2010, it may be more equitable to return to a policy which did not penalise one- income families.
One-income married couples and two-income married couples should be treated on the same basis for tax purposes. – Is mise,