Sir, - Your Editorial of December 4th implies that former finance ministers Bruton, Dukes and Quinn would have liked to introduce tax credits but were deprived of the opportunity of doing so due to lack of revenue buoyancy. I must take issue with this.
Switching to tax credits has nothing to do with revenue buoyancy; it is a matter of political choice. If any former finance minister had wanted to bring in the measures announced in this week's Budget, he could have done so.
The Progressive Democrats were the only party in last year's election that committed itself to introducing tax credits, and it is a tribute to Mary Harney's political determination that they were delivered in this year's Budget.
It saddens me deeply to find that a newspaper once valued by me, and used extensively by me in the classroom, should now become too mean-spirited to either apprehend or acknowledge the truth or simply give credit where credits are due. - Yours, etc., Senator Mairin Quill,
Wellington Road, Cork.