AS a single person, without children, what have I got out of the Budget?

We keep hearing of the working families tax credit and similar allowances, but the operative word is "families".

People who have children choose to have them, whereas I was born single and childless and have remained that way. By not having children I claim no free prescriptions, claim no child benefit or childcare costs, and make no demands on the education system.

I neither smoke nor drink but I do, through necessity, run a small car (working nights and weekends I cannot rely on public transport).

As a result, what little I gain from the 1p cut in income tax is pretty well eaten up by the increase in petrol duty. Why can't I claim a "top-up" to ensure a minimum take-home pay, like the proverbial "working family"?

T. R. MILES,

Teak Street, Bury.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.