'It concerns me that some of these farms could be put out of business' - Your Letters: August 8

Thinking about the proposed inheritance tax on family farms it concerns me that some of these farms could be put out of business if the plans should go ahead. 

It is more important than ever that, as a country we should be more self sufficient. 

We can't continue to rely on cheap imports from around the world especially considering the environmental damage being caused by this.

My suggestion re the tax proposal is that provided that it is a genuine family farm (and will continue to be so) and not part of a larger business and also provided that it is to continue as a fully working farm it should be exempt from this tax. 

However, should it at any time be sold then of course it should be taxed in the usual way. We should be encouraging our farmers and not the opposite. They work far harder than the vast majority and deserve better.

Robert Waller, Stafford

MAKE M6 TOLL FREE OF CHARGE

The M6 motorway is very busy, Junction 5 to Junction 10, there is always a queue during the day time.

The M6 Toll should be free of charge, then traffic will divert by the M6 Toll.

Name and address supplied

ARMED GANGS NOT 'SHOPLIFTERS'

Front page Monday 28 July: ‘Shoplifters run amok in stores.’

The term "shoplifting" suggests a young lad sneaking a chocolate bar into his pocket or a teenage girl pocketing a lipstick.

Groups or gangs of thieves entering stores waving baseball bats or knives/machetes are not shoplifters. They are committing robbery with violence or menaces.

Trevor Howard, Wolverhampton

ENERGY MARKET NEEDS REFORM

Now that we are having to cope with high summer temperatures I hope that the public have not taken their eye off the ball on our broken energy market. Gas prices have fallen once again to their lowest, currently 2.67 pence a kW, yet there has been no corresponding fall in customers' energy bills. Many are paying double that for gas and a whopping seven times more than that for electricity. While energy companies have pocketed £500 billion over the last five years.

The system is not fit for purpose and needs reform.

M Cooper, West Midlands

Send us your letters for publication to [email protected]

Letters to the editor must include the writer’s name and address and will only be published anonymously in exceptional circumstances. The editor reserves the right to condense or amend letters.