Readers' letters: To him who has, more shall be given

The UK Government is generous if you have spare cash to invest.

Government tax breaks are generous to the wealthy while benefits claimants lose out

Some £20,000 each year can be stashed away in an ISA (Individual Savings Account), dividends and capital gains free from tax, pure profit.

Or perhaps you are considering a SIPP? All taxpayers can reclaim the tax on the income they put into a self-invested personal pension.

If you are a higher rate tax payer, that’s 40 per cent on top added by Westminster, taken from the tax receipts of the country.

Then there is Lisa, a lifetime individual savings account to encourage first time home buyers, a Tory obsession, where £4000 each year is matched by a £1000 bonus from the state.Meanwhile, Universal Credit lost its £20 per week uplift at a time when the price of energy and food bills has become a punitive burden.

Annually, that uplift to those who have nothing to spare matches the bonus paid out to those who have £4000 in the bank.

Where is the fairness, the equality, the levelling up that we have been promised by the UK Government?

Frances Scott, Edinburgh.

Biden speech shows Scotland the way

Although not much reported last week in our GB media, Joe Biden made the following remarks in a speech on Thursday:

Ireland is a global force in culture and in the arts, members of the United Nations Security Council and a country with a future. He also praised Ireland’s willingness to take in Ukrainian war refugees.

The contrast with isolated and impotent Scotland is stark. Ireland has a smaller land mass, population and natural resource wealth base than Scotland and yet the GB media is full on a daily basis of assertions that an independent Scotland would fail – including from our own Scottish unionists (Tory, Labour, LibDem).

Given that Scotland’s natural wealth exceeds that of Ireland’s, it is difficult not to reach the conclusion that either Scots are (a) idiots, or (b) unaware that they are being continually lied to and exploited by the UK and its government, media and career politicians.

Mr D Jamieson, Dunbar.

Alyn’s timing’s out on Stirling city bid

Stirling sadly hasn't reached the 2025 UK City of Culture shortlist. Local SNP MP, Alyn Smith backed the city to win this high profile UK award. Strange, considering the timing. Had the SNP won in 2014, they planned to leave the UK by March 2016.

Nicola Sturgeon insists on indyref2 in 2023, so on the previous timescale, she'd have us believe Scotland will be independent during Stirling's tenure as the UK City of Culture.

Is Alyn Smith guilty of non-adherence to the current SNP narrative that seemingly runs: 'ignore the pandemic, war in Europe, a refugee crisis, opinion polls and Westminster's stance - indyref2 is imminent'?

Martin Redfern, Melrose.

P&O following the Brexit playbook

The behaviour of the parent company of P&O Ferries, towards their UK employees, shouldn't come as a surprise.

The messages coming from the Westminster Brexit cabal, in a constant competition to outdo the UKIP-driven 'benefit promises' expected from Brexit, gave a strong indication that employee rights would be up for grabs in Brexit Britain.

The owners of P&O Ferries have just proved that anyone who wants to disregard employee rights in Britain will be walking through a wide-open door.

Brexit – the "gift" that keeps on taking.

Ian Waugh, Dumfries.

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