Dear Sir,
Concerning your editorial piece entitled “The Irish Times perspective on recent exchequer results: strong tax revenue” (5th March), it was suggested that Minister for Finance, Mr Micheal McGrath and Minister for National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Mr Paschal Donohoe, have shown competence in securing public finances and setting aside fluctuating corporate tax earnings.
I feel compelled to challenge this viewpoint. Could we attribute any tangible results to a surge in corporate tax earnings? The modest budget surpluses reported during these prosperous times, in my opinion, hardly warrant commendation. If any credit is to be given to their rather rash spending, it is that the situation may have been dire, had they heeded the suggestions of their parliamentary colleagues or the opposing party.
As stated in the Business Report (6th March), projections foretell another record-breaking tax yield for the government in 2024. Comparatively, the total gross voted expenditure records a €2.7 billion or 22% increase from the previous year. The report includes comments from Michael McGrath regarding tax figures, however, noticeably omits his take on the expenditure figures. Naturally, one should not rush to judge based on a two-month period of tax and expenditure. The extra €2.7 billion could potentially be accounted for by unreported expenses on healthcare facilities or Health Service Executive severance packages.
Kind regards,
Pat O’Brien, Dublin 6.