Urgent need to cut out waste
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THE Cabinet meets today to put some shape on the Budget. It will reconvene at the end of August to continue its deliberations. There is no doubt those taking part face a huge, thankless task that is fraught with danger for the immediate and long-term future of this country.
The message has been sent out strong and clear that we will all be hit hard in some shape or form. We are used to such messages and their impact at this stage.
But as the cabinet members consider their options they would be well-advised to take some time out to see where money can be saved, not by cutting services, but by reducing wasteful spending. There are myriad examples where even a cursory glance raises eyebrows and questions on how a particular item or undertaking can cost so much.
Why, for example, should senators use taxpayers' money to pay for postage of presents to councillors as a way of saying 'thank you for electing me'?
How and why, for example, can a bus stop cost taxpayers €200,000? It beggars belief.
The hard thing for ordinary people to grasp is how such a vast sum of money can be spent while it is not available for items perceived to be far more pressing.
The old adage of looking after the pennies and the pounds will take care of themselves is as true today as it ever was. Unfortunately the sums involved today are of such mammoth proportions they can overwhelm.
But it is the small things that, in the main, affect the everyday lives of so many. And that is where the Cabinet can make a telling difference in how it goes about structuring its Budget.
If it is seen to properly and rigorously tackle the wasteful expenditure of our hard-earned money -- a huge task in itself -- it will do a lot to assuage the fear and anger that always accompanies budget cuts. One of the reasons for anger is when the cuts are contrasted with large sums of money being spent without apparent justification.
The measure of a society is how it looks after its vulnerable members. Everything possible must be done to protect those as much as possible. And eliminating waste would be a good place to start.
Irish Independent
