TAXING TIMES FOR ATM USE
Ahern's U-turn on decision is pathetic
WE pay income tax, at least those of us who have jobs, do.
We pay PRSI for a dysfunctional, over administrated, health service.
We pay VRT on our cars and excise duty and VAT on petrol.
We pay road tolls, either to the State or to the companies to whom they sold our motorways.
Millionaires
We pay sky-high parking fees in our towns, a move, they say, designed to discourage us from using cars. This made millionaires of
Fianna Fail's car park-owning buddies.
We pay carbon tax for the same reason even though the alternative, public transport, is lousy and expensive.
We pay to have rubbish taken away. They want to charge us for our water.
They are going to charge us extra for electricity so they can build windmills and keep the Green nutters sweet.
They charge us for having TVs and even for having dogs for God's sake. They charge us for writing cheques and for having credit
cards.
They charge us for leaving the country. They charge us for moving house.
And, when we die, they do their damndest to charge us on what we leave behind, even though it has been taxed during our lives.
Now, €200,000-a-year Dermot Ahern proposed charging us to take our own money from ATM machines.
(On Thursday he said: "Higher fees on ATM transactions might discourage a dependence on cash." By Friday it was: "I wasn't in any way suggesting that more taxes or more charges be put on people, God almighty in this day and age!" The man's an oaf and his attempts to pretend his didn't say what he said are simply pathetic.)
Well, Dermot, enough is enough.
You might be able to afford all the taxes you and your mates invent day after day. But the rest of us can't.
So would you and the Brians and the Marys and the Greens do us a favour?
Just call an election and put us our of our misery.
Even if it puts you out of your luxury.
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ON ROAD TO RUIN
YOU may have read that the 'final part of the €950 million M50 upgrade' opened this week.
What actually happened on Wednesday was that the National Roads Authority finished correcting the enormous errors made during the planning and construction of the M50 when it was built and which cost €950 million - not including the €600m handed over to a group of rich businessmen for the Westlink Bridge, which cost €38m to build.
Noel Dempsey, the Transport Minister charged with wasting as much money as possible on daft schemes, said it was a "marvellous day for Ireland".
He needs to get a grip. Because it will only be a marvellous day for Ireland when he is long gone - and there's a public inquiry into the €18bn over budget National Roads Authority.
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I MUST SUFFER FOR ART
YOU may have heard of Jackson Pollock. He was an American artist.
His stuff sells for tens of millions. The record is €125 million or so.
His works look like, well, they look like the floor of our spare bedroom did after I'd finished painting the walls, the ceiling and the woodwork this week.
He gets €125 million and people slapping him on the back telling him how wonderful he is.
I get given out to.
Not fair.
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I THINK we've had enough of the trend which shortens people's names to the first two letters of their Christian and surnames.
I HIGHLY recommend Luan Parle's new single Why Baby Why.
WHAT a weekend it was for Charlotte.