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" F O R EV IL T O F L O U R I S H , I T IS S U F F I C I E NT T H A T G O O D M E N D O N O T H I N G '
Reflections
The Wealth Tax Bill has certain sections which 1
believe arc repugnant to our way of life and indeed
should be declared unconstitutional if thev become
law.
Section 14(5) gives the Revenue Commissioners
power to obtain information from "an accountable
person and any other person in possession of informa-
tion relevant to the taxable wealth of an assessable
person" under penalty of £1.000 plus a further penalty
of £50 for each day the "offence" continues.
"Any other person" means you. your family, your
clergy, your bank manager, solicitor, bookmaker,
stockbroker and your mistress should you happen to
have one.
Are we to become a nation of spies, snoopers and
informers?
Section 24 (4) provides that an appeal against an
assessment shall not be entertained by the Appeal
first paid by you (should you be unlucky enough to
Commissioners unles
of the amount assessed is
receive a notice of assessment for sav £25,000.) You
may not be worth £25,000 or £5.000 but there is
nothing to prevent your friendly Revenue Com-
missioner from "accidentally" and/or through a
"typist's error" sending you a notice of assessment.
It might even reach you because of computer teething
problems. No matter, you have received it together
with the minor problem of raising the cash before
you can appeal and prove that the inspector has made
a most unfortunate and regrettable error. Unfortunate
and regrettable for you.
The taxman can also authorise any person to
inspect your property. The penalty for obstruction is
£1,000. So much for the adage that a man's home is
his castle.
It appears to me that the liberty of the individual
and his privacy is seriously being"threatened by our
present Government in this proposed legislation
which is likely to bccome law in a matter of weeks.
The price of liberty is eternal vigilance but unless
sufficient people protest, what amendments are the
Government likely to make?
Legislation such as this will eventually sow the
seeds of destruction of Society as we know it. For a
married couple who are liable to this wealth tax, it
would pay them to gel a separation order and
continue living together. The other side of this coin
is for those contemplating marriage (who would have
a liability to wealth tax.)? DON'T. It will save not
only Wealth Tax but also the cost of a wedding
reception trousseau. (Retrospectively they can thank
the Minister for Finance for this saving.)
The Tax proposed is small and will bring little to
the Excheq ucr but next year the rate can be raised
from 1/c to 10 I. Why not 100/1? This Government
know best how to spend your money.
Why not join the Civil Service? The pay is good
(with a likely increase this year of over
25%).
It has
a permanent source of income — you, the taxpayer.
Correspondence
8 Munchen 2
Sendlinger Strasse 89
Telefon 089/2 60 88 08
February 27th, 1975
The Law Society.
Dublin 2.
Sirs — As a lawyer and a member of the German
Lawyers' Society (Deutscher Anwaltsvercin) I beg you
to be so kind and to inform your honourable members
of the following:
My sister, who does environmental studies at the
agricultural faculty of the Technical»University in
Munich wants to polish up and improve her know-
ledge of the English language, as this is essential in
her field of studies, in which she will soon get her
diploma.
I think it would be a good idea for her to stay with
a family either as a paying guest or "au pair" with
the opportunity to attend language courses as her
main occupation. My sister has a basic knowledge of
the English language; her age is 23.
If any of your members are interested in having
a guest for three weeks in September or part of earlv
October, would you please ask him to write to me.
Yours faithfully,
Reinhart Birnstiel.
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