One way to achieve this would be to raise the personal allowance, the level at which people begin to pay income tax, to 60 per cent of the median income, or approximately £10,300 a year, and those with an income of less than that amount would not pay income tax. If the Chancellor needs to fill the gap left by showing such largesse to people in this country, then he must learn to take more from the top; those, for example, on six-figure salaries and perhaps from some of the world’s super-rich who have sought refuge in London’s low-taxation haven.

KENNETH ARMITAGE
Kesgrave, Suffolk

Sir, The Conservatives now wish to eradicate “relative” poverty, defined as those living on less than 40 per cent of average incomes. Simple arithmetic shows that, as you increase the incomes for the relatively poor, the average income would rise, promptly putting some back into the relatively poor category.

Unless we all had identical incomes (something even Mao could never achieve) we will still have the relatively poor with us.

LORD YOUNG OF GRAFFHAM
House of Lords

Sir, Council tax in the UK is the main contributor to pensioner poverty. Many pensioners pay little or no income tax yet have to hand over more than 25 per cent of their total income to the local authority because of the iniquitous system of funding local services.

It is a national disgrace that the basic UK state pension is the lowest in Europe, being only 19 per cent of average earnings.

ARNIE PARR
High Wycombe, Bucks

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