I think Gordon Brown ought to live as a lower paid citizen and see how he would manage on the money he is asking us to live on. I am 65 and have worked since 15 years of age,paid a full insurance stamp all my married life. My husband is 72 and only has is state pension yet we still find it difficult

Barbara Hutchinson, Ickenham Uxbridge, England

They taketh with one hand, and taketh with the other to.

My new job attracts a salary of less than £13,000 per annum (public sector) and with the highest water, energy, food and rates bills we have ever seen, plus rent of £500 a month I am going to have to put my life on hold for the foreseeable future it seems.

Strangely, I won't be voting Labour.

Jennifer Hynes, Plymouth, England

Has anyone at the Times actually calculated the tax changes for the two case studies?

The tutor's £100 more should be £43.

The clerk's 'I lose £232..' shoud be £61.

A bit more research appears to be needed please, James and Rosemary

Paul, Southampton,

"They haven't removed the 10p band they've doubled it!"

I think that you'll find that the 10p has actually been removed. It has gone from being £2320 to nothing. If it had been doubled, it would now be £4640...

A little basic maths is needed here.

Andrew, South Croydon, UK

Why all the anger over the removal over the 10p tax band. People are talking about losing £100 PER YEAR. When Gordon Brown destroyed private pensions my pension went from being worth £200 per month in 1997 to being worth £63 per month this year. Of course it being a PRIVATE pension it did not matter

Tom Mein, Crete, Greece.

They haven't removed the 10p band they've doubled it!

James, taunton,

My husband and I both took early retirement from stressful jobs but as yet do not qualify for our state pension. We have a joint income of £12,000.
We'd like to know what benefits we will be able to claim when we don't have young children and cannot claim a state pension for another 5 years at the earliest (my husband has to wait another 8 years).
We took early retirement by necessity, our health was our priority. Now we are being penalised for looking after ourselves.

Anonymous, Bury, England

Give our low paid workers a chance - especially the young ones £232 a year is a paltry sum to those who can afford cheap flights to Europe for sunny weekends or a couple of bottles of wine a week from Tesco. Some of us oldies have lived a little and on low money but in the 60s and 70s at least we could have fun cheaply- around 20p for a frothy coffee and a spin on the Juke Box even the Chainti was cheaper than today's bottled water!

We all need cheap thrills and now innocent ones will be out of reach for the young ones!

Give fair pay to low earners and don't rob them!

John Longstone, Newcastle on Tyne, England