Taxpayers Have a Right to Know

If the directors appointed by Government to Anglo Irish Bank fail to reveal the names and indebtedness of all Limited Company clients owing more than €10 million, they would not be doing the job required of representatives of taxpayers.

This was stated by Independent MEP Marian Harkin when she warned that there should be no question of deals being done behind closed doors because taxpayers now had a right to be informed as to the who, and the why, of those who contributed so much to damaging the country’s economy.

“Taxpayers’ money is now involved in saving Ireland’s banks and their interest cannot be deemed to be represented by maintaining secrecy in the banks and especially in Anglo Irish Bank under the guise of client confidentiality”, she said.  The people needed to know that those who contributed to creating the false economy would not emerge unscathed while creating the public perception that they had been taken care of by the political system, Marian Harkin insisted.

“When a senior highly paid Central Bank official can so easily suggest an extra €1,000 tax on those who cannot afford it and there is as yet no sign of senior bank officials being held responsible for their actions, there has to be a change to the confidentiality mantra that it is best for the business that the tax payer remains uninformed because bankers know best”, she said.

“As a taxpayer, that attitude is no longer acceptable to me and it is up to the members of the Oireachtas, across party lines, to insist that in future there will be transparent accountability in all matters concerning Anglo Irish Bank and no unacceptable actions by other banks against individuals and businesses encountering temporary difficulties whose interests deserve to be protected”, Marian Harkin MEP said.