YOUR report (LET, September 12) portrayed Hyndburn Tory group leader Coun Peter Britcliffe, as an outcast for bringing the sneaky pensions tax to the notice of the public.

His conservative colleagues didn't vote against his motion. He was outvoted by the ruling Labour group.

The Budget was commended by a majority vote and that will be the end of it, until the next pensions forecast lands on the desks of the council's employees and they have chance to compare it with last year's forecast.

In Blackburn with Darwen, it is estimated that if all the council's employees would like to re-establish the forecast pension they had before the Budget, they will have to find approximately £1 million a year for additional contributions. Every person in the country who is in a contributory pension fund will have to pay extra if they want to enjoy a pension of two-thirds of final salary. For example, a 30-year-old will have to contribute an additional £40 per month.

Only the brain-dead could expect their employer to fund the increase and only a group of politicians from the same category could expect the council tax payers, the rent payers and the recipients of council services to sacrifice their services, on top of their person responsibility, to top up their own pensions.

For young people, pensions are a distant grey area into which they pay their hard-earned money in the hope that they will be financially secure in their old age.

Even those within striking distance of retirement will have to pay more because of this painful personal tax, on top of the 17 other tax increases in the Budget.

Don't you believe it - 'tax and spend' has only changed insomuch as it now has 'new' in front of it.

COUN A COTTAM (Conservative) Livesey with Pleasington, Blackburn.

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