Madam, - Congratulations to Garret FitzGerald on his column in last Saturday's edition. He seems to be the first commentator of note to state clearly that cuts in personal taxation since 1999 have actually had negative consequences. He makes the argument that "no modern European state can be run properly with such a very low level of income-tax generation. This was only possible because of a temporary boom in receipts from asset-related taxes."
Politically unpalatable and embarrassing, perhaps, for Mary Harney and others, but unfortunately true. - Yours, etc,