Brian Warwick shares his views on the current tax laws

Many of our senior citizens, including those in sheltered accommodation, are paying out more than 20% of their State pension on the community charge because they are not on benefit.

This, in turn, is eating into their capital - eventually resulting in them being forced to seek benefit. It is a crazy world we live in when, to date, our politicians and civil servants have not been able to come forward with a rating scheme that will relieve those problems; they are certainly not insurmountable.

The nearest we have seen were the proposals from the Liberal Democrats for a local income tax to replace the present rate bands.

Perhaps the time is now ripe for an urgent, complete review by the Government of the rating bands for those on pensions. For instance why not introduce a new rating band not based upon the property but for those in receipt of a state pension and living in the lower rating bands of say A, B and perhaps C. At present there is a rather lethargic attitude in Government circles to resolving this problem, other than Ministers and MPs continually saying they are having a complete review of Local Government finances and the rating system. In the meantime they are forcing more and more pensioners towards the benefit and poverty trap with little, if anything, being done immediately to resolve the problems facing many pensioners.

There could be alternative suggestions which our readers might like to recommend, including perhaps, a straight new rate band for all pensioners even though they may have a good private pension. There would have to be safeguards so that it cannot be abused and perhaps allowances made for those living in property valued above a realistically set figure. It should not be difficult to build in the necessary safeguards without means testing. If this were to be introduced we would at least no longer see pensioners being sent to prison.

Readers’ views and any other simple proposals for resolving the present deeply flawed rating system would be most welcome.