JOE HARVEY,
Madam, - I am not in a position to say whether the farmers are right or wrong in their protest march to, and in Dublin. I can say, however, as a co-owner of a motor dealership, that our industry is earning quite a lot less than 10 years ago. Even in that short length of time I have seen our numbers fall substantially either through lack of business or through people changing to other professions because they could not see a future.
With the spiralling rise in insurance and other costs I see very few willing to invest large amounts for such a small return. I know there are very few outside the motor industry who will accept that we are having a rough time with the number of new cars being sold, but remember quantity does not always mean quality.
We as an industry have put up with successive Governments putting higher and higher costs on motorists, which ultimately means they have less to spend on changing or even servicing their cars, but all we do is grin and bear it. - Yours, etc.,
JOE HARVEY,
Grace and Harvey Motors Ltd.,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co Dublin.