GORDON Brown claims he needs the money from a National Insurance (NI) rise to fund the NHS and education.

He conveniently overlooks the fact that as large employers, schools, hospitals and the police would all have to pay the extra NI, thereby taking money out of their budgets. This is, in effect, a stealth cut.

The longer you are out of work the harder it is to get a job. This tax is a tragedy for everyone who loses their job or cannot get back into work.

Nor will they be paying any income tax or National Insurance. Instead, they will be claiming benefit.

Where does Mr Brown think the extra money for this is coming from?

Kimberley Summers, Dalton-on-Tees.

WHEN New Labour came to power in 1997 they sought the advice of business leaders, who told them that sending British jobs overseas would create jobs within Britain.

Business leaders then advised the Government that replacing British workers with migrant workers would be good for Britain.

Such advice has devastated the local economies of many towns and helped increase the levels of unemployment.

So when business leaders come forward to back Conservative plans to curb any rise in National Insurance then, based on the results of past advice, I suggest such support should be taken under very strict advisement.

C T Riley, Spennymoor.

DAVID Cameron has certainly convinced me to vote Tory on May 6. Labour’s increased National Insurance payments will destroy jobs as higher business costs push marginal firms out of business.

I am sure David will follow his logic and abolish NI completely. I am reliably informed he will not stop there since income tax has the same effect. It drives a wedge between what an employer pays and what the worker receives.

The same applies to all those excise duties – they have to go.

That leaves petrol at 50p a litre, cigarettes at 40p a pack, beer 30p a pint and whisky £1 a bottle.

How good is that? Loads of extra jobs.

Of course, there will be no nurses or doctors, no police force or armed services, no roads, no state schools or teachers, no pensions, tax credits or Sure Start centres, no courts, libraries or social housing, no housing benefit or winter fuel payments.

The rich can afford all these things privately; no wonder all those hugely paid business executives are signing up to Cameron’s plan.

It certainly gets my support.

As my grandfather used to say: “You have to be either rich or stupid to vote Tory” – and I’m loaded.

Rob Meggs, Hartlepool.