Examination of Witnesses (Questions 338-339)
MR ALBERT
VENISON, MS
CHRISTINE MELSOM,
MR BRIAN
JAYE, MR
PETER WEBB
AND MR
MICHAEL SCHOFIELD
11 MAY 2004
Q338 Chairman: Welcome to the Committee.
Can I ask you all to identify yourselves for the record?
Mr Webb: My name is Peter Webb.
I am chairman of Surrey Tax Action Group.
Mr Venison: Albert Venison. I
am the chairman of the Devon Pensioners' Action Forum.
Mr Jaye: Brian Jaye, a pensioner
from Dorset.
Ms Melsom: Christine Melsom, founder
member of Is It Fair.
Mr Schofield: Mike Schofield,
a member of the central Is It Fair Committee.
Q339 Chairman: Does anyone want to say
anything by way of introduction?
Ms Melsom: Yes, I would like to,
please. Is It Fair is a national campaign and it is growing very
rapidly across the country. We welcome members of all ages and
we are completely non-party political. The current system is fundamentally
flawed and this has been widely reported and documented. People
recognise that all public services have to be paid for. What they
want is a fairer system based on the ability to pay. The payers
are the people, not the property. Having studied the various proposed
options and solutions, we believe that the fairest and simplest
way for each individual to contribute towards the cost of public
services is to use the existing income tax and VAT systems that
are established and understood and accepted. Is It Fair is only
concerned with resolving the issues of council tax and the damaging
impact they have on the taxpayer. The current discord that exists
amongst the electorate cannot continue. We are grateful to be
here today and willing to assist the Committee in any way we can.
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