Sir, – It is right and proper that those claiming welfare while hiding large savings are prosecuted ("Welfare claimants with large savings repay €21m", August 18th).
However, it says lot about Ireland and its fetishisation of property that a claimant with a valuable asset is entitled to claim social welfare provided that asset is a residential property, while a renter with much more modest cash savings is not entitled to the same level of state aid.
Similarly, at this time of year we have complaints that farmers’ assets are not accounted for in the reckoning for student grants.
If agricultural assets are to be included in calculations of state grants or benefits then surely all assets must be counted including residential property, farmland, defined benefit pensions and other financial assets.
Each state benefit is a transfer from one taxpayer to a recipient. Let’s adhere to the ideal of social welfare as a safety net for those in genuine need and show respect for honest hardworking taxpayers by assessing needs properly.
Better still, lets transition to a system of zero-interest student loans to put all citizens on a equal footing and eliminate undeserved and unnecessary state grants when it comes to education. This would avoid the pitting of one sector of society against another and eliminate the incentive to hide assets or manipulate declared incomes. – Yours, etc,
PAUL KEAN
Conyngham Road,
Dublin 8.