SIR – Employers’ contributions to their staff pension schemes come out of their profits made from members of the public, who buy their goods or services.

We, the taxpayers, are the employers of public servants but make no profit out of their services, which we have no option but to buy.

Most public service workers pay all their taxes but not all council workers pay a council tax, only those who are home owners or renters. Members of their families, if employed, pay their state taxes but not council tax. Margaret Thatcher overcame this by her much reviled but, in principle, just and fair, Community Charge. Council tax should be scrapped and replaced at Government level by an LGT (local government tax), collected by the Inland Revenue and paid pro rata to each council.

There could also be a PST (public sector tax) and relative reduction in the 20p tax, currently paid by everybody.

In this way everybody would be paying their whack and those paying more than 20 per cent would be paying more than those on the standard rate.

Philip Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley