Users tapped

Your correspondent J McCormick writes (Weekend Herald, October 29) we have a choice between taxes or rates for funding improvements to our water supplies — and suggesting charges will go up by a “hefty” amount only if funded from rates. Whilst some councils make a charge through the rates bill, many have “user pays” charges. I don’t know where the idea of funding from taxes comes from. Significant expenditure may well be needed to improve some local water supplies and that will have to be paid for by user charges or rates — not from government taxes. Irrespective of the way water is delivered, residents and ratepayers may have to meet the “hefty” costs of improvements.

B. Anderson, St Heliers.