Taxation and fiscal mismanagement

Sir, – The Commission on Taxation proposes a raft of tax increases. Before any such recommendations can be reviewed and considered, I strongly recommend that the Government put its own house in order and first address serious inefficiencies in the public sector. Spending and demands from public sector will always expand to fill the space afforded by tax revenues: the notorious benchmarking exercises of the Celtic Tiger years made sure of that. But taxpayers of every kind are entitled to know that their taxes are being used in the most efficient way possible if social cohesion is to be improved and maintained.

As a taxpayer, it is hard to stomach hearing proposals from the commission for this raft of new and increased taxes against a backdrop of persistent fiscal mismanagement (the multibillion euro National Children’s Hospital being one of many recent examples), a bloated and bureaucratic HSE which is failing in its duty of care across a range of services despite huge funding, not to mention the truly lavish pay increases recently awarded to senior civil servants. The ¤6,000 raise recently awarded to TDs truly dwarfs the comparative crumbs being mooted for workers in Budget 2023.

I suggest a parallel and independent commission for public sector reform be set up – and its recommendations implemented – before Government attempts to tap workers and businesses for yet more. – Yours, etc,

GERARD REYNOLDS,