Madam, - Never did a headline cause me such depression: "Poll shows public back spending cuts over more taxes" (The Irish Times, September 29th).
We have become wedded to the greed culture. Devil take the hindmost is the new creed of the Irish. Left behind are the kindness, neighbourliness and the caring and sharing attitude that were part of what we were. Now we vote for more long hours lying on hospital trolleys, longer and longer waiting lists, more homelessness, less access to education, fewer resource teachers, etc. And it shows in our mean and hungry streets that are best avoided after dark. Violence and disorder as we prey and feed on each other.
On reading the body of the report the gloom is lifted, if only slightly, by the realisation that the question may be misleading. It is akin to asking a seven-year-old if he prefers chocolate or spinach. In addition to this, what is brought very sharply into focus is the total failure of the opposition parties - and, it has to be said, the Labour Party in particular - to fully acquaint the public with the fundamental fact that the pressure on the State's finances is being created by policies that have continually shifted wealth towards the better-off. By simply addressing the inequities in the system, much cash would become available to both run proper public services and maintain a reasonable taxation level.
For example, the grossly unfair SSIA scheme shamelessly takes the money out of the pockets of least well off and hands it over to the wealthier people. The tax relief system on pension investments is so structured that it allows the wealthiest to grab the lion's share of that tax relief. The top 10 per cent earners share out 50 per cent of the relief, while the bottom 50 per cent share a miserly 5 per cent of the kitty.
By cancelling the SSIA scheme and setting tax relief at the standard rate on all pension savings the Exchequer would in an instant save billions. All that is needed is a sense of fairness - and the will. - Yours, etc.,
JIM O'SULLIVAN, Rathedmond, Sligo.