Taxation policy and political priorities

Sir, – For most people, the cost of living, the cost of accommodation, the cost of fuel, and waiting times to see a consultant or for a medical procedure for themselves or a loved one are their greatest concerns.

Yet our politicians seem oblivious that fixing the above problems would help ensure their re-election to a far greater degree than promising to increase take-home pay for a minority of taxpayers. The psyche among politicians today seems to be to simply throw money at problems, rather than identify and fix the underlying causes.

For sure, an income tax reduction is welcome, but wouldn’t reducing the excessive cost of housing, for instance, by tackling the cost of building land, or keeping inflation and the price of fuel down by not increasing the excise duty to previous levels, which would be of greater benefit to everyone, of all income levels, than a very narrow taxation proposal which only benefits a small part of the population, including some very well paid groups like bank CEOs, the secretary generals of government departments, TDs, and Ministers. The cost of living and availability of affordable housing are very real and serious live issues for the majority of people in Ireland today.

The Government would better spend its time fixing the underlying causes of those issues, affecting everyone, and the economy, than kite-flying. – Yours, etc,