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16 January 1997 Edition

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Tiger-hunting in Leinster House

BY MICHEAL MacDONNCHA

The tiger is one the world's endangered species but there is a population explosion of metaphorical tigers in Ireland at the moment. We are reminded daily of how the economy of the 26 Counties is the tiger of Western Europe. The message from Finance Minister Ruairi Quinn, who presents his budget next week, echoes that of Tory Prime Minister Harold Macmillan: ``You've never had it so good.''

The emphasis of the budget will be on image, with Labour and Democratic Left stressing the social welfare rises which are to be brought forward to June. But this budget will leave the basic unequal structure of the economy untouched. PAYE workers will still bear a disproportionate burden of tax; social welfare will still not reach the levels recommended by a government commission over a decade ago.

Quinn will present next Tuesday a pre-election budget, with some income tax cuts for workers on average wages and much bigger tax cuts for big business. The state already has the lowest corporation tax in the EU and it is set to be reduced further in this budget.

The company sector owes the bulk of the £2000 million outstanding in unpaid taxes. These big cats are the same ones who have been rewarded repeatedly in the tiger economy and they will be rewarded again next week.

At the other end of the scale Democratic Left Social Welfare Minister Prionsias De Rossa has spearheaded a campaign against so-called dole `fraudsters' even though the estimate for overpaid social welfare is less than one tenth of the unpaid tax figure.

It was for the fats cats that the tax amnesties were designed and when resigned Fine Gael Minister and Ben Dunne buddy Michael Lowry stood up in Leinster House to `explain' himself before the Christmas recess he admitted that he had availed of the amnesties. He failed to mention that when the amnesties were introduced by the last Fianna Fáil/Labour government they were denounced by Fine Gael as `cheaters' charters'.

The silence from Fianna Fáil has been deafening. The party has frozen, unable to attack the coalition lest FF links with big business, and the tax affairs of their parliamentarians, are exposed. The sight of Brian Cowen on RTE's Questions and Answers last Monday longing but unable to go for the Coalition jugular was truly excruciating.

The Lowry affair caused silent panic in Leinster House because it has exposed the lack of any real policy differences between the parties and has shown the public whose interests they really serve. All the bluff of next week's Coalition budget and the bluster of opposition reaction will not hide that reality. The electorate knows well by know that tiger-hunting is a sport strictly for the rich.

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