Readers’ Letters: Time to put nation and its people first

Raising taxes at both local and national level, though in some ways understandable, does not seem to me to answer the current problems of economic growth, which the present Government seems to see as a key priority.

Equally and over many decades our prime and essential public services have been underfunded.

The Budget last year for some reason attacked both the employers and, as a result their employees, by increasing the employer’s contribution to National Insurance.

As a result they are not taking on extra staff and also laying off a large number of their staff.

Clearly, the Chancellor did not realise that it is actually the employer — whether of a small business or a major company — that encourages economic growth and, in the right atmosphere, invests more in the economy by the export of both goods and services.

And all this came about before US President Trump decided to impose trade tariffs on goods coming into his country.

At this moment in time we do not know what effects this may have on our own country and its working families.

However, this may well impact them.

Together with the employer's increased contribution to National Insurance, presumably there will be a need for more benefits!

The Inheritance Tax that is to be imposed on our farming communities will only damage our currently sustainable food chain so that at a time of increasing energy and water supply costs we presumably will have to import more basic food and pay even more for them.

Did Rachel Reeves, the Prime Minister and members of the cabinet ever consider the consequences of their policies and actions on the majority of people in this country? I think not; but then parliamentary political par-ties never do in my experience.

We elect MPs to represent us in Parliament and clearly there should be more professionalism, integrity and accountability to taxpayers and explaining how there is such a large ‘black hole’ in the economy.

But all we get is political parties sniping at each other for the mistakes of the other.

It is little wonder that so many people appear to have been put off politics and voting over recent decades.

A real democracy would put the nation and its people first. — A. M. WADDINGTON, Sutton-on-Trent.