According to Polly Toynbee of the Guardian, we at the Adam Smith Institute are mistaken to question the amount we pay in tax. With disjointed logic, she suggests that we are not paying enough (some of us that is) and this impacts badly upon the poorest. It is a shame that she has not found the time to explore our website a bit further, as she may not have had to go to the trouble of writing the article.

At the Adam Smith Institute we call for the introduction of A Flat Tax for the UK. This proposal includes a tax-free personal allowance of £12,000 that will take the poorest out of the tax net. Also, a low flat tax will stimulate investment, make businesses more productive, and so boost jobs, pulling people out of poverty. The low-paid in work also benefit, for as more jobs are created and the demand for workers goes up, wages will rise.

However, Toynbee might well still disagree with us. In reality nothing short of full-blown Communism accords with Pollyland. Her statist utopia (dystopia) includes not a semblance of meritocracy or individual choice. She has no trust in the people to act for the good of themselves; this is why she and others in Polly's Politburo decide everything for us.

Toynbee fears that tax cuts will become a central policy for all three parties in the next election. Let's hope she is right…