Gummy money

SIR– Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said in his Spring Statement yesterday that he is consulting about a tax on chewing gum, as part of measures against single-use plastics.

I chew sugar-free gum but do not dispose of it on the pavement or stick it under seats.

Will the levy I will be expected to pay because of anti-social behaviour be just another stealth tax or will it fund gum police? Tony Manning

Barton on Sea, Hampshire

SIR – If the Chancellor is consulting about the problems of gum, crisp packets and takeaway food containers, I suggest he adds dog fouling to the list.

Since most fouling is created by dogs taken out by their lazy owners for the shortest of walks under the cover of darkness, I suggest that a national register of all dogs should be created so that any fouling could be traced back with certainty to a particular animal via its DNA.

Such a system would be funded by owners and compulsory compliance evidenced by a suitable tab attached to the dog’s collar. John Ley-morgan

Weston-super-mare, Somerset