Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In today?s Irish Independent it is pointed out that in the first nine months of the year taxation rose from ¤26.1 billion to ¤28.5 billion. I make that a rise of approximately 9.2%. At the same time current Government expenditure rose by ¤125 million. Those numbers are extremely serious in the context of the Leader organising pre-budget debates.

It means the entire burden of adjusting the public finances is being borne by taxpayers and that nothing has happened on the expenditure side. The rest of the media would make one think there were daily reductions in public expenditures but the fact is the burden is being borne entirely by the taxpayer. That gives the consumer the gloom Senator Byrne just mentioned.

Nine months is about half the term of office of the current Government. We need to discuss the balance of continuing to increase taxes, depressing the market economy, consumer spending, and losing jobs in wholesaling and retailing, or addressing some of the public expenditure issues. Will the Leader ensure our budget debate is balanced around this issue, rather than what looks like a very one-sided approach, as far as taxpayers have heretofore been concerned?