The Bruce Golding administration faces the difficult prospect of having to achieve fiscal discipline in order to maintain debt payments. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, requiring the Government to rethink and revisit every aspect of the way it operates. The prime minister needs to start working on fixing Jamaica's problems, even if it would open him up to criticism.

I would like to spell out two useful suggestions as to what I believe can be done to help fill Jamaica's Budget gap. First is reducing the number of members of parliament and parish councillors. The second is getting tax evaders to pay their taxes.

At a time when Golding promised to cut his Cabinet, the time is opportune for the Jamaica Labour Party and the People's National Party to work together to reduce the size of Parliament and the parish councils. There is no obvious correlation between the size of the representative body and Jamaica's effectiveness - it is simply an anomaly of political history. Cutting the number of seats in Parliament and the parish councils would save taxpayers' money and, if properly managed, would improve efficiency and value for money.

Technologies, such as phone service, email and Internet can help to increase communications and replace the lost manpower. This will create an easy and effective way for citizens to register complaints and get answers to their questions. The bottom line here is to shrink the Government and use technology better.

The second pointer is getting tax cheats to pay taxes. The Govern-ment must plug the loopholes against tax evasion now. I resent people who don't pay their taxes. By short-changing the Government, tax cheats shift the burden to the rest of Jamaicans.

balanced budget

The Government must declare war on tax cheats. Go after - and do so aggressively - tax cheats, no matter where they hide their money. At a time when Jamaica is struggling to reduce the Budget deficit, it is remarkable that there are probable billions in uncollected taxes owed to the Government. Taxes are the price we pay to be part of a society. It is how the country collects the money needed to pay for the things like services and benefits that it provides to everyone.

Finance Minister Audley Shaw should hire and train revenue agents to nab tax dodgers. The revenue agents could mine information posted by cheats on social-networking websites, such as Facebook and MySpace. We need to think outside the box.

I am, etc.,

NEVILLE CARNEGIE

New Jersey