Madhouse of Lib Dem plans

Ever since these rural piles rose from the ground in the 18th and 19th centuries, there has been a desire to soak the rich. In the days when labourers were paid subsistence wages and lived in hovels, there may have been a justification for this. Today, when so many families provide a good living for local workers and are weighed down by taxes and the cost of complying with red tape, that case is much harder to make.

The Liberal Democrats' proposal for a so-called mansion tax, apparently designed to appeal to hard-pressed middle-income voters, does not take into account the realities of life in a country house in the 21st century.

As the owners of 20 such houses say in the Yorkshire Post today, a mansion tax would put much of their good work in jeopardy. From putting on charitable events to attracting thousands of tourists to the properties, and also the region, it all costs money.

Slashing the funds with which they do this would create nothing for Yorkshire's economy nor for the workers who depend on thriving estates for their jobs.

The owners of the region's country residences no doubt live in fine style, but beneath every spectacular fountain there is a rusting grate, while every rolling lawn needs mowing, weeding and gardeners paying, and each historic drawing room has to be repaired, cleaned and

preserved for the future.

That's why the families who live in such houses have turned to alternative ways of making money. From building new public cafs and restaurants, to investing in new forms of agriculture and hiring out parts of the estate for events, they have risen to the challenges posed by the straitened times in which we live.

As Britain struggles to clear its huge deficit, millionaires will have to pay a little more, but putting another levy on those who support local jobs is not the answer. The country would be better served by targeting those companies in financial services which hone the art of tax avoidance in the good times and then ask for a handout when it all

goes wrong.