A chara, - Rural post offices are an integral part of everyday life for local communities, yet up to 900 of them may be under threat of being shut down. Such closures would deprive local communities of much needed services and facilities.
In recent months, The Revenue Commissioners have recouped more than £60 million in tax owed by a number of Irish banks relating to the DIRT tax scandal. It is believed that the tax owed by AIB, which has not yet coughed up, could be as high as £100 million and maybe more. A recent report from the Department of Finance showed that Irish banks have the highest profit margins in Europe, with AIB making a profit averaging £2.6 million every day so far this year. Its profits are set to increase even further as the Government prepares to reduce Corporation tax to just 12.5 per cent.
The contrast with post offices has never been clearer. I urge the Government to use the money recouped from the banks as a first step to not just preserve rural post offices, but to actually upgrade and enhance the services and facilities provided by these post offices for the local community. Consideration should also be given to imposing a bank levy for the specific purpose of ensuring the survival and expansion of rural post offices.
The profits being generated by banks on the backs of ordinary workers and small farmers are obscene in the context of the threatened closure of rural post offices, a vital community service. - Is mise,
Gabriel Healy, Castle Heights, Easkey, Co Sligo.