Tories should 'come clean' over tax rises

I WAS disappointed to see York Outer's Conservative MP vote against informing residents of the looming impact of the massive stealth taxes he voted for in Parliament last week.

A Liberal Democrat amendment would have required HMRC to write to every taxpayer hit by the freeze in tax thresholds, spelling out how much extra tax they will be paying and whether they've been dragged into a higher rate.

The Conservatives are expected to force around six million people into a higher tax band, as salaries rise to match inflation while thresholds stay frozen. 3.2 million will be dragged into paying basic rate tax and 2.6 million will be pulled into higher rate tax.

Local people are juggling so many bills right now so they need to budget for the tax rises. It is not right that they are being kept in the dark.

Having saddled local people with these underhand and unfair stealth taxes, the least the Government could have done is come clean.

Andrew Hollyer

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Haxby and Wigginton Ward

Oak Tree Court,

Haxby, York

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IT was inevitable my condemnation of solar panels on York Minster would draw the ire of anthropogenic climate change disciples, and so it did.

Locals Christian Vassie and Alan Robinson delivered on schedule with their usual narrative.

More surprising is a gentleman from far away Suffolk extolling the alleged efficacy of solar panels.

At least he had the good grace to admit they have a limited lifespan of only 25/30 years and that York Minster was perhaps not the right place for them.

If the Dean and Chapter must spend money on solar panels there are plenty of big industrial roofs to look at. They don’t have to despoil a mediaeval cathedral which they are supposed to protect and preserve.

Matthew Laverack,

Lord Mayors Walk,

York