MPs should not receive preferential treatment

Hardly worth mentioning really but for some strange reason, he's now decided it was wrong to claim the extra interest and has chosen to repay the money. Blimey!

Now whatever prompted him to do that? Surely there was no outside influence at work there in Westminsterland? After all, its only a lousy 14K of taxpayers' money we are talking about here for goodness sake.

It's not as though there's a shortage of tax money about just now because everyone knows how that source is bottomless and easily mined.

Anyway, out of curiosity, I thought I'd have a look on the Internet at Mr Tipping's expense claims – or rather the few square yards of blacked out pages which, according to the rules of our esteemed rubberstamping masters down there, hides information that has nothing to do with the taxpaying public. Heaven forbid we should get the idea that our money is being wasted on MPs' fripperies!

How naive of us to assume that politicians should abide by moral and legal codes of conduct with regard to taxes and work-expense claims which everyone else has to.

They all say they've done no wrong. They work within the rules. But it's these morally corrupt rules, which they voted in, that are not acceptable to the paying public. Don't they get it?

MPs should not have preferential treatment which the rest of us are not privy to.

For instance, the taxman does not allow anyone else to claim for travel expenses to and from their place of work. And all expenses for every penny claimed has to be proven with a VAT receipt. Nor are we allowed any free 'benefits in kind' as are politicians

I often wonder: has there ever been an MP who has taken the family out for a meal and actually paid for it, out of his own salary?

Has any ever told the truth about the actual number of miles they do drive on work matters (and without including the family's car fuel)? Or the actual amount they spend on food and property maintenance etc instead of claiming for the maximum the rules allow?

Perhaps it's true that we get the politicians we deserve. If so, then what suckers we are.

STAN OLDHAM,

Hucknall.

(Address supplied).