Exchequer returns – tax and spend

Sir, – Your editorial “The Irish Times view on the latest exchequer returns: taxes are strong” (March 5th) states that Minister for Finance Michael McGrath and Minister for National Development Plan Delivery and Reform Paschal Donohoe have done a good job keeping the public finances in the black while putting aside some of the unpredictable corporate tax receipts.

I beg to differ. What have we to show for bumper or windfall corporate tax receipts? Lauding the Ministers for producing modest budget surpluses in a period of plenty really is damning them with faint praise. I think the most that can be offered in defence of their cavalier spending splurges is that things might have been even worse had they listened to their backbenchers or to the Opposition benches.

You report (Business, March 6th) that the February exchequer returns indicate that the Government is on course for another record tax take in 2024. The figures also show that total gross voted expenditure was €2.7 billion or 22 per cent ahead of the same period last year. You quote Michael McGrath on the tax numbers but not on the expenditure figures. Of course one should not read too much into tax and spending over a period of two months. And the additional €2.7 billion may be easily explained by a hospital or a few HSE exit packages that we haven’t yet been told about. – Yours, etc,

PAT O’BRIEN,