WHY do we pay our taxes? We are told that it is for a health service available to all according to their needs -- not true.

The fact is that sick people are being left to suffer due to poor management, massive wastage and queue jumping by economic migrants.

We are told we pay our taxes for the road system -- not true. Only a fraction of the huge amount of money we pay in road taxes is put into the maintenance and building of roads. Meanwhile foreign tourists and road hauliers can use the roads for free. We may be able to stomach this if the money went into public transport, but as it is the public transport system in this country is a laughing stock.

We are told we pay our taxes so that we will be taken care of in our old age -- not true. Care homes are closing now so what hope of there being any left when our children are in need of them.

Already State pension is not sufficient to maintain a reasonable standard of living and we are told that things are going to get much worse.

So why do we pay our taxes?

Is it to fund healthy salaries for MPs who long ago gave up any pretence of representing the view of their constituents?

Is it to fund wars so that we can pretend that we are still a world power?

Is it to fund the arrival of economic migrants (I will not use the term asylum seekers) to place even greater burden on our already struggling health system, benefits system and transport system before serving their true purpose in this which is to drive down wages and pay demands as mass immigration inevitably does?

These are simple questions that I would like answering. I have never claimed unemployment benefit, never been sick, never broken the law and worked hard to ensure that this remained a great country for my children and grandchildren to grow up in.

Now I find myself, due to my ethnic origin "tarred with the same brush" as people who are coming here simply to take advantage of a lax benefits system and a government (not the first) that finds it difficult to say 'No' and forgets that it is supposed to exist to protect the interests of those who are proud to say we are British.

My fear is that the present situation is spiralling out of control and playing straight into the hands of right-wing extremists. This has happened elsewhere in Europe throughout history and we already see right-wing parties gaining seats at local level in our town.

It is perhaps time for a new political party to be formed. One not tainted by the greed, sleaze, corruption and self interest of the Labour, Conservative and Lib/Dem parties -- who between them have conspired to betray the taxpayers of this country.

I PATEL, Granville Road, Blackburn.