Letter: Share it fairly

THE ARRIVAL of December brings us close to another round of New Year Honours and with that in mind I’d like to make the following proposal.

The UK government makes much of the need for social fairness, which must surely involve each of us paying our fair share of the taxes that support the services we need for a truly prosperous (as opposed to merely wealthy) society.

There is ample evidence that a significant number of the wealthiest people in our society indulge in widespread tax avoidance and evasion (“only the little people pay taxes”).

Ironically, many of these people are not only enlisted as government advisers but also formally “honoured” with knighthoods and peerages, in direct contradiction of the “fairness” principle.

Therefore, I propose that there should be a “fair citizen” test for all prospective candidates for knighthoods and peerages. This would involve submitting their tax affairs to open scrutiny, to ensure they are following the government’s “all in this together” agenda by contributing their fair share of taxes to ensure the future well-being of our society.

Colin Weatherley

Gullane

East Lothian