Madam, – The consensus among the so-called leadership of this country on a range of issues ranging from education to our social and economic conditions is oppressive to say the least.
Why is it that no one has challenged the multinational sector to make an additional contribution to our current economic predicament? Our 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate has contributed to a huge reduction in the global tax bills of that sector. It seems that our political leaders and others are very happy to take money from our pensioners, unemployed, sick and elderly to pay back debts incurred by European banks due to their risky investments in our Irish banks. Our leaders conduct is both morally and ethically bankrupt. Their argument is that the common good is better served by enriching international investors while Irish people are forced to tolerate sub-standard services, to emigrate, or – God forbid – starve.
They have failed and continue to fail to serve the “people”. Here is a positive suggestion: “invite” our multinational partners to pay a levy of say 5 per cent of profits per annum until 2014. We could then offer to pay them back over the next four years subject to some conditions, namely, increased investment in R&D, increased employment targets, or increased profits related to baseline profits from the previous four years. – Yours, etc,