Denying pensioners €10 a week would amount to forgetting people who kept country going

Sir, – I had an interesting conversation this week with an Irish pensioner in his late 70s regarding the upcoming budget. Senior Government sources warn that a €10 increase in weekly pensions may not be possible this year due to tighter overall spending. This man quietly summed it all up by saying: “I worked for 52 years, paid all my taxes and PRSI and paid a mortgage, with interest rates at one stage reaching 17 per cent. I never had a holiday, and after 40 years I now own my own house, which I can’t afford to heat.“I am finding it harder and harder to survive on my weekly State pension with the huge increase in the cost of living.” This man, like a huge percentage of pensioners, is living far below the poverty line. This is even more galling when you see the appalling waste of taxpayers’ money in other areas. READ MOREThe Government, which has a huge budget surplus, is conveniently forgetting the people who worked hard through the various recessions, tightened their belts and paid penal income tax rates of up to 65 per cent to keep the country afloat. – Yours, etc, BRIAN LUBE, Kilcock,Co Meath.