Republican News · Thursday 14 November 2002

The whole truth?

This morning, the Dublin government will publish its budget estimates for 2003 and give the clearest indication yet of the true state of 26-County finances. Uncovering the real funding shortfalls we now face is a journey taken with a lot of unease. Any government that can have a €2.26 billion surplus one year and let it deteriorate to a possible €2 billion deficit next year has taken a reckless attitude towards our finances.

It shows a government without a real long-term strategy for the vital investments we need in infrastructure, education, health and education.

For example, it is almost a year since the fanfare launch of the Dublin government's healthcare strategy. Now, with the election over, it is forgotten. It is an indictment of Bertie Ahern's government that more of a fight was put into holding onto his pet project of a supposedly "world class national stadium" than the quickly forgotten promise of a "world class health service".

We have watched in recent weeks as the parties of the right, and that includes the Labour Party, have woken up to the tax inequalities in Irish society and have begun to articulate the policies offered by Sinn Féin to redress tax inequality in the 26 Counties.

Sinn Féin has been an untiring advocate of real tax reform and the creation of a just tax system in the 26 Counties. We welcome the recent converts but wonder at their bona fides.

We welcome that the Labour Party is now concerned about how the tax exile status is used. It is something that never concerned them during the four and half years of the Rainbow Coalition.

Similarly, the promised review of tax shelters and the battery of reliefs is to be welcomed, only with the caveat of asking why did it take so long.

Why is it only now that government is considering a super tax on the growing wealthy elite in Irish society?

Successive governments ignored the inequalities that their tax regime was creating in periods of boom, so now we have to ask are they really prepared to tackle the endemic inequalities in our tax code?

Or is it more likely that, once again, the coalition is looking for a quick fix?