Sir, - Disgusted and annoyed are just two of the feelings that I have for the likes of the Independent TDs and SIPTU as well as the Opposition parties and other interest groups about the way they have been carrying on over the Budget. By the way, I am not a Fianna Fail supporter.
This is the first Budget in 20 years in which my partner and I have got something back for all the hard work we have put in. We both worked when tax was so high that it sometimes didn't seem worth it, and we both still work because we can't afford not to. Neither of us is a high earner, neither are we in the low bracket. We live in a modest three-bedroom house, have an eight-year-old car, don't go on sun holidays or even weekends away.
After we pay our mortgage, childcare and bills and put food on the table, we have £40 left between the two of us. And this has to cover clothes and footwear also. We can't afford to live on one income and we feel happy to pay our taxes and not take anything from society.
However, like so many more of us, we do not belong to a public sector union or any of the groups that can flex their political muscle in support of their own gain such as the guards did recently. We both work in the real world and know what is required to keep the economy competitive.
Charlie McCreevy is not giving us an extra £6,000 in our pockets as people seem to think. Instead, he is in touch with the world that we live in today. Most couples need to work these days to pay the mortgage and if we are to have children then this involves childcare expenses. This also raises the question of how many children we can have. It is not that we are being greedy by not having more than one or two children, but we can't afford to.
Nobody seems able to grasp this one fundamental aspect except Charlie McCreevy. Also this Budget is part of a long-term plan and one which should be given the chance to prove itself over the next three years. But interest groups and Independent TDs aren't interested in the long-term interest of the country, just minding their own little patch, and making sure they get re-elected. It's no surprise that many people aren't voting. - Yours, etc.,
Kevin McFeely, Ashley Drive, Swords, Co Dublin.