13/09/05

Taxation on diesel and petrol is 75 per cent of the retail price. VAT is levied on the basic petrol price as well as on the duty - a tax on a tax.

The reality of the three components (product, customs duty and VAT) of the price of fuel at the pumps means there are complex restrictions on effecting price reductions. Petrol manufacturers are under cost pressure because of the price of crude oil and refinery costs. Additionally, the duty payment of approximately £2.80 per gallon cannot be reduced by the Chancellor without infringing an EU finance ministers' agreement of May 2000 (following a French farmers' revolt). Furthermore, the amount of VAT charged cannot be reduced without EU permission.

VAT should only be charged on the actual cost of the fuel, not the cost of fuel plus the customs duty. This change would reduce the cost of fuel at the pumps by about 10p-12p per litre.

The loss of revenue to HM Treasury could be re-claimed with an uplift on tax on chewing gum and cigarettes or any other anti-social curse of the modern world. - Peter Troy, Sedgefield.

BREAST CANCER

AS a member of Breakthrough Breast Cancer's Campaign and Advocacy Network, I am meeting MP Alan Milburn to tell him all about breast cancer services in our area.

I am meeting him at an event called the Westminster Fly-In, which is an annual lobbying and training event run by Breakthrough Breast Cancer and I would like to take other readers' opinions with me.

I am collecting as many different experiences as possible from people about services in Darlington, so I can get him to campaign for improvements as well as access to the best available breast cancer treatments and research.

Some services and treatments are excellent, but it is important that we campaign to improve things where they are not so good.

If you, your sister, mother, father, other relation or close friend has been affected by breast cancer, I would like to know about your experiences. Do you think that you received good treatment? Did you have to wait longer than you expected? Was there anything you would like to see done differently?

Although improvements in treatment and screening services mean that more people than ever before are surviving breast cancer, over 40,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer each year in the UK.

If you can help me with any information about local services please call Rob at Breakthrough Breast Cancer on 020 7025 2490 or email robb@breakthrough.org.uk - S Gibson, Campaigns and Advocacy Network Member, Darlington.

SCHOOL DEMO

THE response of the Director for Children's Services (Echo, Sept 8) to the demonstration outside Hurworth School, Darlington, was quite incredible.

Whilst denying avoiding the protest, did she speak to the parents directly affected by her proposals? No.

Did she liken the opinions of those parents with those of local business? Yes.

She seems of the opinion that these other "stakeholders" should have an equal say in our children' s futures as we do.

Well, the people of Hurworth have delivered a very clear message to those at the council championing the proposals, with their candidate receiving only 3.6 per cent of the vote.

It is time for the council to come down off its high horse and start talking to the people who count: parents and the local communities. - Ian Holme, Hurworth.

MALCOLM RIFKIND

I HAVE thought for some time now that Sir Malcolm Rifkind would make a good leader of the Conservative Party.

I believe he is one of the best and most articulate of Tory hopefuls.

He has a good reputation as a speaker and I remember him addressing an audience of business people where he spoke off the cuff and without notes in a most impressive way.

In addition to this, Sir Malcolm is a keen advocate of Conservative values and at the last General Election explained party policy very well. - LD Wilson, Guisborough.

HIGH ROW

DARLINGTON Borough Council may find that it is celebrating prematurely if the local government Ombudsman upholds the complaint which she is investigating and requires the council to hold a public meeting and a referendum to allow the public to speak and decide the future of High Row.

The article by Stuart Mackintosh (Echo, Aug 26) fails to mention the reference to the Ombudsman and assumes, like the council, that the opposition has gone to sleep.

The council may find that it "ain't seen anything yet" .

Maybe your reporter could interview a representative of the Darlington Civic Trust and speak to the general public. He could then write a further article from the "other side" . - John W Antill, Darlington.

BUMPY RIDE

I AM driving in my car, bouncing merrily along. Where am I? On a farm track perhaps?

No, I am on a main road approaching Coxhoe from Durham.

An article (Echo, Aug 10) 'denies roads are rotten' insisting deterioration has been halted.

You could have fooled me. - F Atkinson, Shincliffe.

FIREARMS

RE: Bob Pollocks' letter on replica guns, (HAS, Sept 2). A paper released by a Canadian organisation recently, quoting figures of the increases of violent crime in Canada, America, UK and Australia, made very interesting reading.

The greater increases were in the countries with draconian gun laws. The cost of administering these laws was also astronomical; for instance $2bn in Australia alone.

The comparison used were crimes per 100,000 head of population. Interestingly, in Canada, where they had to start from scratch registering all firearms, less than 0.5 per cent gun crime was traced to firearms in the system.

We have now got to the ludicrous position where handguns using black powder are legal even when they are brand new. But the British Olympic shooting team using pistols are having to practise in France. What are we going to do in 2012 when there will be a large amount of pistols brought into the country from all the other teams - change the law?

I agree that replica guns can be a nuisance, but is it the fault of the gun? Every time anything gets banned it is the innocent who get punished for the sins of the guilty.

I would be interested to hear what Mr Pollocks' definition of a lethal weapon is. It is all very well quoting knife, axe, gun or baseball bat. How about a cricket bat and then we can have cricket banned? Spanners, screwdrivers - the list would be endless. The problem is lack of education and the people who should be doing the education are parents.

If anyone thinks getting hold of a firearms certificate is easy, I suggest that they try to do it. - Jim S Hamer, Darlington.