AS leading public figures join the rush to become Social Justice Warriors demanding ever more from the public purse and berating the Evil Tories at every turn, am I alone in pausing for a second or two to question whether or not double standards may be at play here?
Like most others, I paid PAYE, National Insurance, VAT and so on all my working life and had little opportunity to avail myself of any sexy tax avoidance or mitigation schemes.
I contrast that with the endless numbers of celebrities, politicians and footballers scouring the globe for tax-efficient corners to house their earnings when paying tax like the rest of us would still leave them wealthy beyond the dreams of mere mortals.
I am not envious, as I consider myself to have enough in life but it grates that many of those now calling for higher government expenditure and taxes are doing all they can to limit their own hit. I have to challenge that.
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Perhaps we should start by obliging all current and prospective MPs, MSPs, Lords and Ladies to declare their tax returns, not to mention all of those campaigning actors, artists and sports stars trying to shame us into giving even more. If they won't do so, then they should step back and let others take the stage.
In short, trust, integrity and openness should always be at the forefront of public life, although I question my own naïveté in saying that.
Fraser Kelly, Glasgow G13.
Test for Rhodes Scholars
IT has been reported that Oriel College, Oxford is to recommend the removal of the statue on its premises of Cecil Rhodes, the colonialist. In his will, funds were made available for certain post-graduate students to study at the University of Oxford. Now that Rhodes looks like developing into something of a persona non grata at the university, with questions over the origins of his wealth, one wonders if those Rhodes Scholars who benefited from that funding and are still around, such as President Bill Clinton, the entertainer Kris Kristofferson and David Kirk, captain of the All-Blacks, will be considering their positions and paying it back.
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
Led to believe
MY irritation having finally got the better of me after several weeks of enforced lockdown, I can no longer allow some Herald staff writers' consistent misspelling of the past participle of the verb "to lead"to go unchallenged. The latest offender, but by no means the first, is Chief Football Writer Matthew Lindsay, who reports on Derek Johnstone having "lead the line" during his 15 seasons as a Rangers player ("Greatest Premier X1, Day Ten: The Goal Scorer", Herald Sport, June 18) .
Without wishing to suggest remedial English lessons for people who earn a living from their facility with the written word, it's surely not too much to expect professional reporters to know the difference between the present and past forms of irregular verbs.
David Gray, Glasgow G11.
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Gate-gate
FOLLOWING on John Macnab's letter on railings removed in wartime (June 17) the Merrylea Park estate in Giffnock was left bereft of iron gates and railings in 1940 with one exception. Overnight a sleekit neighbour removed his gate with ease by lifting it clear of the brackets attached to the front garden wall. It remained in his cellar for the duration of the war. It then re-emerged for neighbours to be told it had been "accidentally overlooked by the welders". Aye, right: but no mention how the gate conveniently walked into the cellar.
Allan C Steele, Giffnock.
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