THERE are so many reasons for paying, adequately, for the services we all need.

Continual squabbles about the amounts of council tax we pay will solve nothing. Savings made, here and there, usually against the well-being of the less fortunate in our society, are merely a drop in the ocean.

When we take into account the overall costs in salaries and pensions etc paid to current and former employees of our service providers, we can see more clearly what is happening.

It is not just the front line services we expect to see that gobble up our taxes.

All too often, we forget that people are living longer and consequently claiming their rightful pensions from their employers for more years. I note that many teachers, policemen, firepersons, council managers and the like are paid enormous salaries compared to that which so many ordinary council tax payers have been used to.

It is little wonder that there will always be this inequality in the incomes of individuals. It appears that national agreements are to blame for some salary scales which pay ridiculous amounts of public money to the higher pay bands of council employees.

I do feel that the previous Labour administration were being realistic in their council tax budgeting. It is not so hard to see where much of the money was, and still is spent.

P F Morse

Swindon