Madam, - In last Friday's Business pages, Jim O'Leary offered a a stunningly clear analysis of the link between the Celtic Tiger phenomenon and taxation policy.
The lower taxation mantra of one political party, combined with the absence of any serious commentary of the type Mr O'Leary has just given us, has created a climate that has effectively killed debate on the subject. I hasten to add that I do not always agree with what Mr O'Leary says and I am not seeking to link him with a particular political viewpoint. However, he has said what few politicians have had the courage to say: that the economy will not necessarily collapse because of a modest increase in taxation.
I suggest that in recent years there have been occasions when in the interests of economic management further tax cuts were not justified and on occasion even modest increases could have been proposed with some justification. No doubt these circumstances will arise again in the future when perhaps a different climate of opinion may see a different outcome.
- Yours, etc,
LEO ROCHE, Grosvenor Place, Rathmines, Dublin 6.