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depends on individual lifestyles. Equally, a global population of eight billion clearly has a major impact. It is a fatuous nonsense to suggest that politicisation can somehow solve matters. In fact, political intervention has, and will, exacerbate the problem, rather than solve it. Individual responses alone will determine the outcome, not interference by politicians, who in reality are part of the problem, not a solution. And what other profession would allow one of its members to take a sabbatical of several months duration without even asking permission from those paying for such an indulgence?
Anthony G Phillips
Salisbury
Perhaps a thorough audit would bring the rulers of this monolith to their senses. Instead of touting for extra funds, why doesn’t Councillor Chivers have a quiet word in his own local MP’s ear? Why should the paying public pay for a service that is going to be wilfully torn apart, depriving the listeners and viewers? He says ‘The Government must fund the BBC properly’... erm, as the money is taxpayers’, shouldn’t that have read ‘the taxpayer must fund BBC properly’?
Mrs T Newman Gloucester paid by employers. Employers then have to try to pass on their higher costs to customers without driving those same customers away.
For a number of years inflation and taxation have been very low. However, in the ’50s and ’60s the highest level of taxation was 90% and the basic rate was 33%. It was successive Tory governments that reduced all levels of taxation to what we have become familiar with. Not a political statement, simply a fact. Thankfully we are not in that situation.
It is now this Government’s task to fill the massive hole in the country’s finances, a significant part of which is caused by generous support to those who need it. Unfortunately, large amounts of government funding is also wasted by inefficiency or corruption, such as benefit fraud, and these should be a priority to stamp out.
In my opinion, the higher paid should pay more income tax than they currently do, even under the new rates. There is no sound reason that so-called media and sports ‘stars’, CEOs, etc, should be paid ludicrous amounts of money without some redress and support to those less fortunate.
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Swinney has stated: “If I want to put any more money into a public pay deal... I have to cut public expenditure and public services.” What he should have added is... “or raise taxes.”
Of course increased taxation hurts almost everybody – but is there an alternative?
Dave Chafer Yeovil, Somerset