Sir, – Are those who live in local authority or social housing not considered to be in a “household”? Do they somehow never need to avail of services? I can see no other reason for them to be excused this charge.
I never thought I would be advocating people should pay a charge, but surely all such charges should be based on ability to pay, regardless of who your landlord is.
Am I to presume all local authority tenants are unemployed and are unable to pay, or is this really a charge on homeowners or private landlords? If it is, say so, and then explain the inequity to those on the Live Register who don’t live in social housing. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The proposal to impose a flat tax of €100 on all homeowners, regardless of means, shows how little thought about the fairness of the proposal took place. Surely a fairer and more sensible way to proceed would be to use Revenue’s income database to design a graduated tax with a base level of €100 up to a €50,000 income, for example, then €150 between €50,000 to €100,00, and so on. After all, €8 a week for someone on €500,000 is unlikely to break the bank, and would be fairer (and seen to be so) to the lower-paid individual whose finances are now teetering on the precipice. Generally, those individuals with the greatest incomes or ability to pay will live in those areas where the site valuations will also be greatest.
This graduated method would be more likely to reflect the effect of the proposed site valuation tax when it is implemented and would generate more income for local government in the interim. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – The claim by Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins that, with respect to the projected savings of close to €1 billion arising from recent EU summit negotiations, the Government has “refused to pass on any of these savings to cash-strapped households across the country” is a canard (Home News, July 28th).
The need to continue the austerity programme persists. It is true that the reduction in terms from the punitive 5.8 per cent previously agreed will bring relief, but the challenge remains to restore the fiscal position to a state where we can return to the bond markets in 2013. Fianna Fáil knows well this is the case.
You have to wonder also why Mr Collins (same article above) and others in his party criticise the household charge when this is emerging from the EU-IMF deal agreed by the previous government. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – If the forthcoming property tax is truly less than €2 a week, as various Ministers are at pains to point out, can we expect to be able to pay it in weekly instalments? – Yours, etc,