Stockpiling over coronavirus fears ignores the needs of those across the country who are less fortunate

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Rationing was successful and acceptable during the Second World War because it ensured nobody went without.

Those stockpiling in the current situation are ignoring the needs of those less fortunate than themselves, those living from payday to payday who, without spare cash, will struggle to meet even their usual needs when up against the self-interest of those in a better financial situation.

In the absence of action by the government and a lack of concern for others being displayed by many in the country it seems we must look to the supermarkets to help protect those less fortunate in society. Thankfully they appear to be stepping into the breach.

John Simpson
Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire​

Billions more

Apparently our government is to invest £5.2bn throughout the country for improvements to flood defences over the next five years.

It sounds a lot until you compare it to the £18bn that is being spent on the Elizabeth line to transport Londoners from one side of the city to the other without having to change trains.

Then you realise it’s just the usual “how cheap can we do it for?” attitude that the government rolls out for the rest of the country outside of London.

Ken Twiss
Yarm, North Yorkshire​

Roof issues

The previous chancellor of the exchequer, George Osborne, was on the radio proclaiming how the austerity he imposed has set the country fair to deal with the current economic crisis because he “fixed the roof when the sun was shining”.

Quite how reducing the number of hospital beds by thousands will help the NHS cope with the tremendous strain that coronavirus will soon put it under, and perhaps push it to collapse, could be described as “fixing the roof” is beyond me. More like “removing slates from the roof in the naive opinion that we are never going to get torrential rain”, if you ask me.

Colin Burke
Cartmel, Cumbria

Pension relief

I am an unpaid director of a small charity employing mostly part-time workers. Although I’m not holding my breath, one commitment I would like to see from the chancellor in his forthcoming Budget would be to improving pension equality for the low paid in Britain.

At present, you are entitled to a top-up on your pension contributions equivalent to the tax you would have paid on the income (limits apply), even if you are below the tax threshold. This is only fair since when you access your pension it may well be subject to tax. However, two methods of pension calculation operate. Under “net pay” your pension is deducted from your gross pay prior to calculating your tax so you automatically get tax relief at your highest rate which can be 20 per cent, 40 per cent or, of course, 0 per cent. There is no mechanism for the low paid to recoup the top-up they would have been entitled to.

Under the “relief at source” system, 80 per cent of your pension contribution is taken from your net pay after tax, a further 20 per cent is obtained from HMRC by the pension provider. It may not seem a lot, but per month it is worth about £10 to a worker taking home £1,000 on top of their current £40 pension contribution. This is great for the low paid but anyone paying higher rate tax needs to notify HMRC to get the extra tax relief by eg an adjustment to their tax code. Crucially an employer has to operate the same rule for all employees.

It will come as no surprise to the cynical that most employers choose the first option. I would like to see the chancellor commit to reform, entitling all low-paid workers to “relief at source” for their pension or at least a simple way to reclaim missed top-ups.

John Bailey
Preston

Rail links

A rail tunnel to Belfast appears to be firmly on government’s agenda. This is most welcome news.

In the context of post-Brexit competitiveness, UK-wide infrastructure is key. Hence it makes sense for HS2 to be extended to Glasgow/Edinburgh and to Belfast via a “north channel tunnel”.

By very happy coincidence a link to Belfast will necessitate a reinstatement of the much missed Dumfries-Stranraer/Portpatrick line to facilitate the most direct rail links between Belfast and London – and continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel.

Connecting Northern Ireland would be a wonderful feat, especially as the great ports of Belfast and Larne would be connected to rest of UK by directly by rail.

The projected completion date appears to be 2030. However, a faster completion date would make the UK all the more attractive to inward investment. And amid the traumas of Brexit the UK needs a success story to raise collective morale.

John Barstow
Pulborough

Dundee delights

You didn’t mention the Verdant Works, a former jute factory and fascinating museum, in your piece on Dundee. Or the marmalade, or the Arbroath smokies!​

Debbie Rose (a recent visitor to Dundee)
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