VAT is an EU tax going into EU coffers

SINCE early autumn there have been several references in the Yorkshire Post to “fuel poverty” – poor families and some edlerly having difficulty in paying their gas and electricity bills.

According to an article headed “Cameron faces Tory revolt on fuel prices” (Yorkshire Post, November 15), Labour MPs would be suggesting an amendment to cut the cost of fuel by, for instance, reversing January’s vat rise.

VAT is a European tax forced on us by Edward Heath. Europhiles, like Mr Bovington, will gladly pay VAT on petrol, lighting and heating bills, since the money goes into EU accounts (which have never been approved by the EU’s own court of Auditors).

I suggest that Cameron abolish VAT altogether. “He cannot”, dictate our masters in Brussels. Cameron toes the line.

Rents we can afford

From: Kendal Wilson, Wharfebank Terrace, Tadcaster.

I HAVE read with interest your comments on the capping of benefits for housing, and the assumption that there are thousands languishing on it and foreign workers happy to fill less advantageous employment. That is a fair assumption at best!

Many migrant workers live 10 to a house, very organised I would say and in no way a help to the plight of the British families. Ministers know that for years the exorbitant rents charged by private landlords. It is they who fuelled the inflation of housing benefit; will they now put the rents down? I doubt it.

The average rent for social housing would not break the new housing benefit limits, but where is the social housing now as it is disguised as affordable!

It is clear private rents will not come down, so maybe the Government should promote the right to affordable rent otherwise one may as well stigmatise groups such as tenant farmers etc.

Smoking in cars

From: Tom Howley, Marston Way, Wetherby.

PRIME Minister David Cameron tells us that he supports the current smoking ban, but “is nervous about going into what people do inside vehicles” (“BMA wants smoking banned”, Yorkshire Post, November 16).

I am confident that family man Mr Cameron, travelling with me on a cold, wet afternoon, would have been shocked and disgusted when a car pulled up alongside at traffic lights with two adults in the front seats, puffing away on cigarettes, while three young children played innocently in the back. All of the steamed up windows of the vehicle were closed, the inside of the car thick with fug.

Supporters of smoking arguing against any limits to their emjoyment being imposed by the “nanny state”, will claim that the majority of smokers are responsible and considerate citizens.

Perhaps they are, but I still worry about youngsters being to subjected to this unhealthy habit by the few that do not show consideration.

Plight of the engineers

From: RD Leakey, Giggleswick, Settle, North Yorkshire.

REGARDING the article (Yorkshire Post, November 19) on the £1m prize to engineering geniuses.

From a 97-year-old engineering inventor, I must explain that it would be most unlikely that any of the award money will actually be allowed to reach the oily hand engineer inventors themselves as such.

One reason for denying funding to engineers is because they invent machines that destroy people’s jobs, as the better the machines become the lower the costs and profits of the previous existing products.

Worst of all for the financiers who are providing the money is that if they did set up engineers to improve technology there is a danger that long censored inventions might become active.

At present some inventions are censored in order to hold down the lucrative high costs of electricity, fuel, transport and food. Worse still for the financiers nanotechnology could and should engineer the abolition of money itself.

Because of what is known, as irrefutable well-proven knowledge, the £1m genius engineer prize should be regarded as being just a financial stunt by the financiers to find out and suppress what are their worst enemies, namely engineers and inventors whom they purport or pretend to be awarding to.

Cyclists must obey the rules

From: Roger M Dobson, Ash Street, Crosshills, Keighley.

HAVING been a cyclist well into my teens, I think at the time I understood the rules of the road that applied then and indeed should still apply now to cyclists on the highway.

In today’s world where there are many more vehicles on the road, most of which are capable of higher speeds, the rules need to be respected by everybody on the road.

Unfortunately, in this era of fast moving vehicles, there appear to be some, if not a lot of cyclists who seem to think that they can ride two or three abreast on the carriageway which is surely not in their personal interest of self-survival.

So come on cyclists, change your ways. Stop the verbal abuse etc and earn the respect on the roads that you deserve.