Paying the price

Along with others, Clark Cross (Letters, 2 November) blames Alex Salmond and the SNP for the fact that the UK charges VAT to the Scottish Police. Scotland was warned that if it made the police service national rather than local this would happen, so it is our own fault. Some may think that the point of devolution is to allow us to choose to do things differently, but if we do we must pay for it ! So if we really want to be different at reasonable expense we had better choose independence.

DAVID STEVENSON

Blacket Place, Edinburgh