Caring for old houses

sir – William Cash (Letters, June 1) is right to point out that VAT is applied to works on listed buildings, while “new builds” are zero rated. Older buildings sometimes require extensive repair and renovation, with the costs running into many thousands.

However, young couples are often prepared to sacrifice immense amounts of time and money on caring for such properties, and if we want these buildings to survive then surely the bizarre arrangement of adding 20 per cent to a hefty bill, when VAT has already been charged on the materials, makes no sense at all. Catherine Lewis

Ware, Hertfordshire