Amid the gloom of the past months, I rediscovered my sense of purpose upon reading Margaret Legum’s “A painless solution to paying taxes” (March 15).
I have long been a proponent of a turnover tax. It is an idea that until now I have discussed with my closest friends only. I have been afraid of being considered a dangerous eccentric or rabid reactionary.
Now, however, essentially the same idea has the support of someone who has impeccable left-wing credentials. I can come out of the closet.
A simple computer programme by virtue of which a small proportion of all deposits made at the banks were automatically raked off and paid to the government would enable us to abolish every one of the myriad other taxes we pay. It would be impossible to evade (apart from small cash transactions) and make our lives simpler. It would have the support of the rich and poor alike, we would have the most loyal business community in the world, domestic and foreign business confidence would soar, billions would flow into the country rather than out, the economy would expand, jobs would be created, poverty rolled back, crime arrested, empowerment programmes a distant memory. We would become prosperous. A winning nation. A beacon to the world.
Perhaps it is true that the most revolutionary ideas are simple ones whose time has come. Nigel Willis