I look forward to a time filled with less anxiety about Covid-19
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Your support makes all the difference.How refreshing to read Will Gore’s article about post lockdown “freedom”.
He’s hit the nail on the head perfectly regarding the simple pleasures of feeling relaxed when eating out with friends or family and just doing what used to be "usual" stuff, without feeling that virus anxiety lurking in the background.
Yes, the foreign trips will attract me at some point as will the theatres in London but not just yet.
Thank you, Will!
Gilly Main
Kent
Land tax
With reference to your article “Public Backs New Taxes on Wealthy and Businesses to Pay For Covid Debt", the chancellor should consider taxing an asset that automatically rises in value as the economy prospers. That asset is land.
Every effort to stimulate the economy (eg credit easing and investment in infrastructure), and every measure to help home buyers (eg reduced deposits, grants to first-time buyers), simply increase the demand for land, and therefore its values, as its supply is fixed.
Whereas, arguably, raising rates of corporation tax and higher rate income tax may have disincentive effects on investment and effort, land value tax (LVT) actually creates a powerful incentive to develop and penalises land speculation.
This will do a great deal to help remedy the housing crisis, and without the need for government handouts. An increase in council tax and VAT would fall disproportionately on the poor and would aggravate inequality, LVT would go some way to reduce inequality.
Peter Reilly
Southport
Using your vote
Unless action is taken – and quickly – we may not have much of a world to leave to our children and grandchildren.
I believe the only way to be sure of getting a real ecological result in return for your ballot will be to actually vote Green.
Andrew McLuskey
Ashford
Vaccine directives
I agree with your editorial that (Who should be next in line, 27 February) teachers, police officers and all other key workers should now be given priority in the very efficient vaccine roll-out. I feel it would give a tremendous boost to these men and women, who are on the front line and have basically kept this country going during the pandemic.
They have been "up close and personal" with Covid-19 each and every day, whilst the rest of us have been obeying the government directive to stay at home.
I think this would be a marvellous gesture of gratitude, and I imagine the majority of the public would be behind this strategy. I feel it is disingenuous to have clapped and praised our key workers, then stand by and watch them waiting their turn without feeling aggrieved on their behalf.
As a recipient of the first jab, I know that it is a great feeling of relief and I would dearly love those men and women who have indeed gifted us the semblance of normal living and gone the extra mile for our children.
Judith A Daniels
Great Yarmouth
Is the vaccination passport or certificate to help save the tourist industry another badly conceived idea from our political leaders?
By the summer it seems that most of the people vaccinated will be the over-70s and vital service workers who are unable to travel.
Is this a pointless exercise?
Peter Fieldman
Madrid
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