Sir, – There have been six contractionary budgets up to Budget 2016, and after each one the Opposition has cried foul.
We now have the first budget since 2008 to put a little something back in ordinary people’s pockets, and what does the Opposition do? Cry foul, of course!
Sadly, I expected nothing less. – Yours, etc,
ROBERT CHESTER,
Knocklyon,
Dublin 16.
A chara, – A few crumbs from the table will not buy my vote! So we are €400 “better off” but we still have a local property tax, water charges and a host of policies that benefit those in the top echelon. – Is mise,
KILLIAN BRENNAN,
Dublin 17.
Sir, – We tolerate budgets to win votes as part of a democratic process. We tolerate a democratic process so that they give us budgets to win votes. Who’s fault is it? – Yours, etc,
DERMOT O’ROURKE,
Lucan,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – I am always amused when the USC is referred to as “unloved”. Would someone care to inform us which tax is “loved”? If it takes a euro out of my pocket, I do not care what it is called. I still won’t love it. The USC contributed €4 billion to the State last year. Which “loved” tax could replicate that? – Yours, etc,
JAMES MORAN,
Bunclody,
Co Wexford.
Sirs, – Great news in Budget 2016 that the State is giving a generous Christmas bonus of €173! As a hard-working, self-employed taxpayer, how do I qualify for this? – Yours, etc,
SIMON BALL,
Dublin 1.
Sir, – While the Government’s acknowledgement of the need to support carers by restoring the respite care grant to €1,700 is welcome, I’m disappointed that the Government has failed to fix the problem with the grant. It must be made a pro rata payment.
The respite care grant is paid to eligible carers caring for someone on one particular day of the year, generally the first Thursday of June. If the person being cared for enters long-term nursing home care or passes away before this date, their carer receives nothing, even if they’ve provided care over the previous 12 months, right up to the day before this arbitrary date. And as anyone who has cared for a loved one up to an admission to nursing home care necessitated by progressive illness or a medical event can attest, this period is one of the toughest times in the carer journey, the time when the respite care grant is most needed.
By not making the respite care grant a pro rata payment in Budget 2016, the Government has continued to leave the most vulnerable carers deprived of much-needed respite care support due to an arbitrary calendar date. It’s not good enough. For the sake of all those carers, please make the respite care grant a pro rata payment now. – Yours, etc,
CAROLINE CROWLEY,
Durrus,
Bantry,
Co Cork.
Sir, As I don’t have children under 12 years of age to avail of the free GP care, any chance of free car maintenance for cars of over 12 years? – Yours, etc,
MICK O’BRIEN,
Springmount,
Kilkenny.
Sir, – Further to recent contributions to this page, I would remind some readers that the public sector, industry and, indeed, TDs, are hard-pressed taxpayers too. Some letters recently have implied that public servants are not taxpayers in their own right. – Yours, etc,
ANNETTE QUINN,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – The “leaking” of budgetary details for days in advance has now reached the level of farce. Could the Government not “officially leak” the entire budget a few days beforehand? If it did that, the TDs, who all appeared to have turned up, could stay at home. The daily attendance allowance and travel allowance could then be saved and the taxpayers would benefit. – Yours, etc,
TONY KEANE,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – Please allow me to use your good offices to thank the Government for the tax changes introduced in Budget 2016. They will make a small contribution to helping me pay the other taxes and charges they have already introduced. – Yours, etc,
CIARAN McCULLAGH,
Bishopstown,
Cork.