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8 July 2004 Edition

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A little inequality goes a long way

The three-day jailing of a mother of seven last weekend, for failing to pay a seven-year-old television licence fine of €160, was an absolute, shameful disgrace.

Gardaí called to Marie Connolly's door in Kildare last Saturday and refused to show mercy when she offered to pay half the fine on the spot and the other half three days later, after she had collected her Children's Allowance. Instead, they took her away from her children, including her six-year-old autistic son and her eight-month-old baby girl.

A television licence in the 26 Counties costs €152. There are more than a few people who can't afford to pay for one.

But the fact that the state would jail a woman over a redundant, minor fine, beggers belief. Particularly so when we consider what other members of society are getting away with.

During June, for example, the Revenue Commissioners declared that it had collected €500 million from offshore account holders. A date of 28 May had originally been set for 15,000 people to come forward and declare their tax liabilities, but after lobbying by the parties concerned, the Commission extended the date to 10 June. In the event, only 11,000 met the date. A statement was issued saying more people were expected to pay their overdue taxes in the coming weeks.

These people, among the richest in society, avoided paying their taxes for years. They haven't served any jail time and they won't either. They are being given the chance to pay up, and many are taking as long as they like.

The recent revelations about AIB make the same point. The bank has been ripping us off for years, but does anyone really think that any of its senior executives will ever spend a minute in Mountjoy, let alone three days like Marie did?

The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform Michael McDowell made his right-wing views clear when he harped on about inequality being good for the economy and society. His Fianna Fáil Junior Minister, and ideological twin, Willie O'Dea, made a similar ludicrous statement last weekend.

The incident with Marie Connolly is exactly the sort of unequal society they want — where the less well-off are made pay for the most mundane of mistakes, while the wealthy get away with much larger scale rip-offs of society.

It's enough to make any decent person feel sick.


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