Madam, – I am a landlord which probably ranks me equal to politicians in the popularity stakes.
Some years ago, encouraged by the government, I (foolishly) purchased a Section 23 type property and borrowed heavily to do this. I am now in considerable negative equity.
The income from the property was never sufficient to meet the repayments but I was able to subsidise them with the modest income which I received from another property.
The Minister now seeks to renege on his undertaking with the result that I will no longer be able to cover my costs. Can this be right? I appreciate that my plight does not compare with that of those who depend on social welfare payments for their existence. But I am not looking for sympathy – merely justice.
I am also a pensioner. – Yours, etc,
A chara, – As a senior citizen who has not been unduly affected by the recent Budget, I feel I have to voice my anger, my sadness, my incredulity and my despair at what is happening in our country.
I have recollections of poverty after the second World War. But what is happening now is so utterly demoralising that I wonder what can one do? Our Government, seemingly bereft of any morals, seriously penalises, amongst others, the blind, the widows and the carers, the already deprived. At the same time they don’t reduce their own exorbitant salaries or expenses. Where is the morality? Is there not one human amongst them (I deliberately avoid using the word man), who could stand up and say “No, I can’t vote for this; it’s immoral”?
Do they not see that they are driving people to despair? And what’s even more frightening is that there is no reason to believe the Budget will solve anything. In four years’ time, when we’ve spent the loan and there’s no money left, we could be in a worse situation.
And Fianna Fáil, propped up by the Greens, say this way, their way, is the only way. I’m sure they could have avoided penalising the already-deprived by adding some taxes to cigarettes and alcohol, or adding tax to those earning over €100,000, or doing both.
Integrity amongst our supposed leaders is sadly lacking.
We suffered oppression, poverty and famine in our history. Our Government, bereft of vision and courage and failing to face up to the ECB and the EU, is now oppressing its own citizens and imposing further poverty and financial hardship on its own people; shades of the Ceausescu regime in Romania at the fall of Communism.
We are now experiencing another famine; this time one of morale and morals and leadership. Is there not one amongst them who can say: in the name of God, stop? In the meantime, what can I do? Can anyone please tell me? Not voting Fianna Fáil or Green ever again seems hardly enough. – Is mise,
Madam, – Looking high and low through the Budget I couldn’t find any cut in TDs’ salaries, expenses or pensions. I ask myself: was that the line the independent TDs wouldn’t cross for their support? A case of the cute turkeys refusing to vote for Christmas? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – My wife and I recently invested what for us was a large sum of money in a nursing home development. This was done under a Government scheme which had the objective of providing this much needed infrastructure with private rather than tax payers’ money, much like a Public Private Partnership.
From an investor’s point of view the money was to be returned with some profit over a period of seven to 10 years by way of tax relief. With the approval of Revenue the scheme was structured in such a way that we have effectively no ownership of the bricks and mortar. We only have rights to the tax relief. Budget 2011 has robbed us of almost our total investment.
This prompts the idea that billions could be saved by reneging on PPPs in general. Now that our motorway system is virtually complete, why not refuse to pay back the capitalists who paid billions to build it? Tolls could be abolished or simply diverted to fill Government coffers. – Yours, etc,