Letter: VAT woes

You report (3 December) that the rise of VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent will cost the average family £600 per year ie 2.5 per cent or 1/40th. This implies that each family spends £24,000 of net-of-tax income on items which attract the full rate of VAT.

Since they will also have to house, clothe, feed and warm themselves, not to mention sort out their daily travel, then the average family is not really as badly off as we are being lead to believe by politicians.

Of course, it is entirely possible, since this was calculated by SNP politicians, they actually meant the average SNP politician's family.

Colin Gorrie

Balcarres Road

Musselburgh