Hard pressed retailers deserve parity of esteem
The forthcoming budget is now awaited with apprehension as the entire spectrum of society is preparing for another round of punitive tax increases and levies as the mandarins of government seek to rectify the ship of state plying its way with great difficulty in the financial hurricane raging both at home and abroad.
The full impact of the bank bail out and the realisation that we were over dependant on stamp duty from the property bubble has now hit everyone with a tremendous thud. As a state we are spending more than we are taking in and closing that gap is the great challenge now for government and for all of us.
The growth in the range of services and the development of our national infrastructure has been one of the uplifting aspects of life here over the past 20 years. There have been tremendous advances in the provision of social and community services with new health centres, resource centres and support systems being provided in tandem with the modernisation of our hospitals, the provision of new schools and the building of new roads. The increase in the number of key personnel such as social workers, occupational therapists and speech and language therapists etc are genuinely seen as the hallmark of a modern state that cares for its citizens. The reduction in the number of public sector jobs must not undo all the great work that has been done in the roll out of those services over the past two decades.
For the government it is a tough balancing act in terms of knowing what to cut in order to reduce expenditure and what taxes to increase. Most ordinary people feel that they are already paying too much tax and that the very wealthy should be made pay more. However, the number of extremely wealthy people living in Ireland is quite small and even if they were made pay a higher level of tax, it would not be enough to make a significant difference in terms of national income.
Getting back to the budget the hard pressed retailers in the Border region are feeling dismayed that they may be saddled with a two per cent increase in VAT. Retailers are genuinely struggling at this time and the relative parity with their Northern Ireland competitors is now to be shortlived. The government must give due regard to the well being of the Irish retail sector. It is one of the pillars of Irish society and deserves the same regard as other sections of our economy - an established mechanism to allow proper Ministerial interaction with the retail sector in the same way as the farming sector and the trade unions is now essential.
The hard pressed retailer can't be expected to take everything on the chin and make do with it. There must be parity of esteem for the hard pressed Irish retailer who has done so much to keep the heart ticking in Irish society.
For reaction from the retailers to the proposed VAT increase, see this week's Anglo-Celt newspaper.
Post a Comment