Heating or eating?

Fuel price rises leave poor people with the invidious choice between heating or eating. A practical solution is to supply every home with enough low-price energy for basic survival; this loss to be subsidised through swingeing prices for subsequent, conspicuous, energy consumption.

This reverses the present tariff structure; is tax and revenue neutral; is fraud resistant; allows the poor to both eat and heat; is unbureaucratic as it can be automatically administered through electricity bills; will encourage frugality and insulation; and so is environmentally friendly.

TIM FLINN

Garvald

East Lothian