Today’s letter writers give their opinions on land taxes, an opportunity missed in the wave power industry, school vandalism, religious extremism, and the Dundee Proms.
Land tax would boost enterprise in ScotlandSir, John Digney (September 13) not only solves the problems Graeme Brown of Shelter Scotland outlined in an earlier letter but also signposts the way out of the current recessionary state of the nation.
The collection of land rental values to completely replace the burden visited on work and production caused by income tax, council tax, corporation tax and business rates as the means of raising revenue, will stimulate employment and enterprise instead of depressing them.
Since land, unlike taxes, cannot be hidden, the only industry that will suffer is the tax avoidance industry.
When we move from taxing what we do and make to collecting rent on what we hold and take, we will be on the first step to increasing the rewards for hard work and ending the curse of social inequality.
Ron Greer.Armoury House,Blair Atholl.Make Proms an annual eventSir, I was at the Proms concert in Caird Hall, Dundee, on Saturday and have to agree it was a very happy and enjoyable event.
We could not have asked for finer soloists and all three delighted us not only with their virtuosity but also with the warmth of their personalities. The volunteer choir, a great idea, performed with great zeal and power showing just how well they had been rehearsed and motivated.
The choice of popular works worked well and suited the occasion to perfection. While easy to wax lyrical about the concert there were one or two avoidable niggles. The noise of the hall extractor fans was obtrusive, most noticeably during the quiet sections of the Rodrigo Guitar Concerto.
A little forethought and they could have been turned down for those 10 minutes. Sadly, the fans weren’t the only distraction and the other one went on for rather a long time. As a conductor myself I know only too well the importance of giving a clear and, at times, forceful beat.
Some great conductors seem to have the power to do this with minimal bodily movement, while others are much more physical in their approach. Garry Walker is most definitely one of the latter but carries it to extremes. There were times when his feet were high off the ground in a rather grotesque dance which at first was amusing but soon irritating and distracting.
It is to be hoped this is not his usual behaviour but was perhaps motivated by the cameras and the need to entertain. Please, BBC, make this interlinked finale to the Proms season an annual event and, next year, we might even be able to fill the hall to capacity.
Ken Greenaway.Culross House,Torr of Kedlock,Cupar.Dangers of radical IslamSir, Reading your leader, (September 13), Colonel Gadaffi need not change his view of the eventual Islamic demographic conquest of Europe.
Your leader comment also posits an incongruous, insupportable and naively dangerous comparison between mad mullahs and daft pastors. Unlike the followers of the mad mullahs, the congregations of the daft pastors are not engaged in wars and terrorist activities.
The average Muslim spends his lifetime dodging the mines of hate in the Koran. And he knows that to try to escape could mean death for apostasy. Muslims across the world celebrated the destruction of the Twin Towers. Pastor Terry Jones’ threat to burn the Koran caused worldwide condemnation from Christian and secular sources and yet the desecration of the Bible by gays set up by Jack McConnell’s wife in Glasgow gave the local populace or the media little cause for concern.
Andrew Lawson.9 MacLaren Gardens,Dundee.A missed opportunitySir, If Dundee does get an assembly plant for wind turbines, the accompanying employment prospects would be welcome. However, it is a great pity that the opportunity to manufacture tidal generators invented here was not pursued. These tidal generators are more efficient in output than the wind turbine and operate a constant 22/7.
Others in the Tyne Tees area did see the employment and large market prospects for the generators and so, again, Dundee lost the place just like it did with the hydrocarbons industry.
John Cruickshank.Meadowview Drive,Inchture.
Sadness at school vandalismSir, On entering the school grounds at North Muirton Primary after the summer break, I was shocked to find the amount of damage that had been done to our school over the holidays.
Besides the vandalism to the building, our trim trail, (which was funded by Asda, who gave £24,000 towards it) had been broken in some places and written on. Obviously, the community wardens who patrol the area are not a sufficient deterrent to troublemakers and further action needs to be taken.
Also, there are ongoing problems with litter, bottles, glass and lighters left in the school grounds. To top it all, the bike shed has been almost completely destroyed.
As we are an eco-school and are working towards our second Green Flag, this is a problem that needs to be solved as soon as possible. I have barely touched on the incidences of vandalism to the school and the grounds. I am truly upset by what has happened and hope that whoever did this will think again about vandalising other people’s property.
Naomi Moodie.Primary Seven,North Muirton PrimaryPerth.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.