Sir, - It may come as a shock to the Government in the run-up to the Budget to realise that there are many people out there who are less than impressed by promises of income tax cuts, since their incomes are so low that they do not qualify for the dubious distinction of paying that tax, or pay very little. Therefore they get no relief, or thanks, or benefit, from accepting extremely low rates of old-age and other State pensions, notwithstanding the fact that they, in their working days, also helped to bring about the prosperity that many people now enjoy.
The time has come for Mr McCreevy to loosen the purse-strings a lot more than he did last year to compensate pensioners for many years of miserable increases from all governments.
This increase is necessary not only because of the considerable surge in prices in the shops (we won't say a word about house prices and rents at this stage); additionally, very many elderly people will be utterly confused about the euro. They will be fearful of the "rounding-up" process which pushed prices up at decimalisation.
So, Mr McCreevy, please do the sporting thing and give the pensioners a fair crack of the whip. - Yours, etc., Bernard McLeod,
Ferguson Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.