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Pay as you go services fairer than council tax
• MAGNUS Nielsen tells us that the Chinese pay entry fees into local parks, among their other personal responsibilities.
What he doesn’t tell us is whether the Chinese citizenry has to pay whacking great lumps of council tax annually, partly so that those lucky ones in local government can avoid their responsibilities regarding savings and pensions – not to mention the somewhat cosy time enjoyed by a lot of the still-salaried higher echelons on generous pay.
If I had my time again I would go into local government, so as to ensure that I lived comfortably off council taxayers in my retirement. (More than 23 per cent of council tax goes in paying ex-local government employees’ pensions.)
As I am single, childless, use no local services to speak of, and have never had a hope in Hades of getting any public housing or other subsidy, I would be quids in if I paid my entry fees as and when I could afford them, and kept the rest of my savings to myself.
Many of us don’t get something for nothing, we pay a lot for very little, even in retirement, as well as cover for the huge amounts of tax written-off by councils. Well done to the Scottish government for recognising council tax as one of the unfairest taxes ever devised.
JUNE GIBSON
Chandos Way, NW11
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