Simplicity costs much less than Byzantine complexity. When I briefly signed on a few years ago, I was astonished to discover that the DSS brazenly ignored the PAYE regulations which burden every business, ignored the P45 that I presented, and simply paid me under an 'emergency' code and presumed that any subsequent employer would sort out the mess and ensure the correct tax was paid for the year. But if the government itself finds the system too burdensome to administer, surely the system must change? At present the government keeps adding complexity.

The idea of universal benefits would not appear compatible with barely-restricted immigration, tho.

Roger Pearse, Ipswich,

Raising the income threshold by £1000 would benefit the worst off (non-taxpayers) by nothing at all; the next worst-off (standard rate tax payers) by £200, and top rate taxpayers by £400. How does this "direct specific help at poorer families" ?

Archie, Aberdeen,

The whole scheme was nothing but a scheme to hire back all the civil servants he told us he was going to get rid of. Face it, who but an unreconstructed member of the loonie left could ever dream up a scheme that collects in our money and makes us beg for it back again, instead of just reducing the taxes in the first place. It's about state control, pure and simple. The vast bulk of our taxation pays for the living expenses of people who do not contribute one whit to the national economy.

KR, Stockport,

Well said. And if you are serious about promoting your mantra, you will recommend that the government abandon ID cards and the whole paraphernalia of the National Identity Scheme. "Simplicity" is not a word often associated with that scheme. It promises to outdo tax credits for maladministration, the Child Support Agency for misery and the NHS's National Programme for IT (£12.4bn and counting) for waste of taxpayers' money.

David Moss, London, UK

The tax credit system does a number of things:

1) It labels any working family with a combined income under £70,000 as needing welfare - beyond the hopes of most in this country, and so is devisive, soul destroying and demeaning.
2) As a means tested benefit it is demeaning to those who claim it
3) It is expensive to administer

Like everything else Gordon Brown has done since day 2 back in 1997 the Tax Credit system is wholy destructive to the people of this country.

Edward Andrew Green, Upminster, England

The phrase “Keep It Simple, Stupid” should be at the top of any criteria for new taxes or new laws. It has been the mantra for good development projects for years. But the government seems to have missed the plot.
The problem is that if we had really simple tax rules, there would be far fewer civil servants, and they would never voluntarily put themselves out of work. The rich, without get-out clauses, would pay more tax. The majority of people either spend their time and energy working or claiming tax credits. It is difficult to do both.
The tax credit system is also an incentive to avoid declaring less formal earnings. A few extra pounds take away too many benefits – and minor changes in circumstances mean a great deal of paper work.
All income from this country should be taxed at the same rate (probably with a personal allowance) – including national insurance- whether PAYE, dividends, capital gains, interest relief, non-domicile and many others that I have never come across. It

Carol, Slough,

Politicians by there very nature are idiots. As with many "intellectuals" they have academic knowledge but little or no common sense - the very building block of what in reality is real life.

Peter Jackson, Cambridge, UK

"If Mr Brown wants to encourage the needy to work their way out of poverty, he should wind down the unwieldy tax credit regime ....."
But of course he won't - the whole point of Tax Credits is the claim that they are a "negative income tax" and therefore artificially reduce the figures for tax taken. If he were to be honest, then the headline total taxes taken would rise, as would the social security budget, and that would never do!

One question: we are told that Gordon reclaimed £500M illegally in error and that to refund it will cost a further £200M. Does anyone know how much it cost the taxpayer to run the illegal reclaims? and how much it cost the taxpayer to make the incorrect payments in the first place?.
My guess is that each must have been higher than the £200M administration costs for (adminstratively simpler) refunds. So the cost to the taxpayer of government incompetence is certainly more that the admitted £700M, is at least £1100M, and is probably £1500M or more

Mike Bibby, St Albans, England -not EU