LETTERS
Forget the poll tax
Sir: In your Leading article of 17 March, on the vexed matter of the poll tax, you argue that the Tories should not run scared as it is considerably fairer than the rating system it replaces. You are right.
I would suggest that there are no real reasons why the tax is so unpopular: rather the reasons for the current passion are psychological: first, it is more interesting to criticise things than applaud them (try and open a conversation saying how much you like the poll tax, and the next time reverse your views, to see what I mean) and there are plenty of people about who want to protest about something, and this cause is as good as any. And also, there is always a deep-rooted fear of change, and fear is a potent addler of sense. This row is nothing new. Recall, inter alia, in past years, the hostile reactions generated by the change to decimal currency; then the reform of local government; trade union reform; and more recently the reactions to the priva- tisation issues; then there was last year's amazing performance by the judges in response to the Chancellor's legal reforms, and now we have the current proposals to change the NHS. All these have provoked reactions bordering hysteria (and some of these issues could be more fairly criticised than the poll tax) but in the main it's hard to recall what the fuss was all about.
The poll tax feeling runs higher and generates even more noise than the other issues because it involves everyone in their pocket, many for the first time. So I predict that the current poll tax rows like all the others will soon subside and, in a couple of years, be forgotten altogether.
The Old Rectory, Adstock, Buckingham
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