WILL our councillors have the courage to stand up to the Fogey Brigade?

The recent unedifying demonstration of skirt-flapping by all three local parties in the direction of the pensioner vote has simply encouraged an open expression of naked selfishness by people such as "Watcher".

I currently pay £800 a year in rates, of which, on a generous estimate, I get £100 back. I don't particularly like being taxed, but I accept it as the price I pay that "Watcher's" grandchildren can be educated properly (I have no children of my own), and that "Watcher" can have his property protected by the police.

At this point, I have a genuine curiosity which someone else may be able to answer -- just what proportion of local government spending, directly or in effect, is spent on the elderly? How much would slashing that spending save on my rate bill?

Prior to 1963 (this is where pensioners' minds become vague), the calculation of income tax liability took into account the rentable value of owner occupied property. To lay it on thick -- if you lived in a house that you owned, the rent you would have received if you had leased it out was added to your income, and tax paid on it.

The balance of this was that effectively a married man with a mortgage, wife, children, possibly elderly parents, paid no income tax until he was earning around the average wage.

As these commitments dropped, the property tax enabled the next generation to reproduce itself.

Lucky "Watcher" -- the property tax disappeared, but the tax relief's remained for his working life, with the effect that he was able to take a one-way bet on ever accelerating house values, and build up a nice big pension for himself.

The special pleading by those who have done simple calculations of how to advance their own base interests must be resisted -- I know of at least one district in the United States where free primary school provision was ended because the pensioner voter's children did not live there.

Those who can contribute should, irrespective of age, and the politicians should develop a spine to say so.

"Watcher" -- don't get sick; the elderly are the greatest users of the NHS, and I'm currently paying National Insurance, and you are not!

Raymond Pearce

Hawthorne Road

Deane