SIR: I refer to your report (BEN, January 18) on the "Churches Together" meeting held in Farnworth, which brought together the three Bolton SE Prospective Parliamentary Candidates and would like to bring to the attention of the electorate other issues covered.

The Conservative PPC made great play about inward investment into the UK, but I remind everybody that, for every pound coming in, TWO pounds are invested abroad. Much recent inward investment has been used by foreign firms to purchase our privatised utilities and other companies. No new jobs there. Indeed, quite the contrary!

I challenged the Conservative PPC to support the call to reduce VAT on fuel from eight per cent to five per cent. Labour is pledged to carry this through. Indeed it was the Labour Party who fought to stop the Tories increasing VAT on fuel to 17.5 per cent. In 1992, the Tories said they had no intention of increasing taxation then, after the Election, they introduced 22 new taxes.

Would the Conservative PPC for Bolton SE please tell the people of that area whether he supports further extensions of VAT, e.g. to food (which would cost the average family £10.50 a week), children's clothing, books and newspapers, in exchange for the further cuts in DIRECT taxation promised by his Party? This shift from direct to indirect taxation costs those who are less well off dearly. The facts show that only those earning more than £64,000 now pay less tax under the Tories; the rest of us pay more. Same old Tories, same old lies!

Cllr Brian Iddon

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate

The Labour Party - Bolton SE CLP

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