Sir, - It really is hard to believe what I heard on the radio the other day. The surprisingly good tax returns were announced and it was mentioned in passing that the farming community contributed £70 to £80 millions to the figure. Is no one even going to ask the question is this just and fair to the rest of the tax paying community?
Now I do not know how much farmers receive in subsidies and grants from the Government (and God knows how much from the EU), but I am sure if you added them up they would practically, if not entirely, wipe out the above contribution. In a nutshell the question I am asking is can anyone out there tell me what is the net figure contributed by farmers to the exchequer?
So where does this leave us with the upcoming Budget? No doubt there will be a few concessions to the PAYE sector, but has anyone noticed last year's concessions vanished with an actual increase in take from this sector. It goes without saying the annual procession of special interest groups will be calling on the Minister's door appealing for concessions. It is time yet again to demand a fair deal for those in our community who carry the greatest burden and impose one on those who appear to carry so little. - Yours, etc.,
Whitechurch Road,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.