We need to radically rethink our attitude towards higher taxes

As the day approaches when we get to choose how we want to be governed, maybe it’s time to rethink our attitude towards taxation.

The Conservative obsession with lowering taxes has been followed (unwillingly but necessarily) by Labour. And the “high taxes bad – low taxes good” mantra has become an article of faith. Instead, we could think of taxes not as a necessary evil, but as the cost of having a decent society – the price for investing in ourselves and enjoying a standard of public services taken for granted by so many other countries that we should consider to be our peers. And clearly the burden of taxation must be shared fairly, with those who have the means to do so shouldering their share of the load.

It’s unfortunate that the debate has sunk to the playground level of Conservatives taunting Labour as to which taxes they will raise, while Labour keeps resolutely quiet. But I can accept the rationale – Labour must win in order to begin the slow task of rebuilding the fabric of our society and our nation. I do hope that after they have won, Labour can start to treat us like grown-ups and explain how we will all need to play our part in the task ahead.

And that part is on us – to acknowledge that you can’t expect European levels of public services and infrastructure at US levels of taxation, and turning away from the false premise that lower taxes are by definition a good thing. And above all, on Thursday, to vote accordingly.

Anne Wolff

Maidenhead

I was heartened to see the Independent back Labour at the coming election. While the party under Starmer has let me down repeatedly over these past few months, I can’t deny that they are the best positioned to defeat the Conservatives and restore an element of common sense to our democracy.

I live in hope that once they are in power, they will drop the facade of simply being “Tory lite”, and finally do the things that need to be done to restore this nation to its former if not glory then at the very least functionality.

Stephen Bloom

Canterbury

How very heartening it is to see the speed with which Nigel Farage has removed from his Party those “bad apples”, of whose opinions he was unaware. Of course, their membership of Reform would have been the fault of the “vetting company”; Rishi Sunak, for calling the election at such short notice that no one from any party could be expected to know their candidates; or maybe Channel 4, or the BBC – indeed, anyone but himself as party leader.

So can we now expect the rapid dismissal of Reform’s co-deputy, Ben Habib, who told Julia Hartley-Brewer earlier this year that immigrants in small boats should be left to drown? I’m sure Nigel will do the right thing!

Sue Breadner

Isle of Man

David Nelmes’s letter imploring US voters to look at the facts is laudable but naive. Trump supporters are not interested in facts. They lap up his lies and distortions without thinking. They believe the last election was stolen without a shred of evidence, and continue to listen to his outrageous statements about the economy, and insinuations about Biden and his family.

Trump is not stupid, but he knows what stupid people want to hear

Jack Liebeskind

Cheltenham