SO Junior Transport Minister Norman Baker came to Nottingham to congratulate the city council and invited guests on closing the deal for tram extensions did he?

He kept that quiet.

Was he scared of being pelted with rotten tomatoes by the vast majority who don't want tram extensions?

Or maybe he was afraid of being asked awkward questions like how many millions of pounds more than the sum considered by the Public Inquiry will the extensions cost and at what interest rate is it being borrowed?

And, of course, we are still waiting for this minister to tell us many hundreds of millions of pounds it will cost Nottingham taxpayers for the old consortium.

COLIN RAYNOR Tomlinson Avenue Gotham

I WOULD like to applaud the Imperial Tobacco workers for taking a stand on the Workplace Parking Levy.

This levy was introduced for companies and universities to help pay for the tram. It was not put in place to be passed on to employees.

This is another ploy by employers to offload the cost to hard-working staff who cannot afford more cuts in their pay. It should be the responsibility of the Government to step in to remind all employers that the levy has been placed on the company not their staff.

What next – will employees be asked to pay extra for the air they breathe? I don't think so. If employees are expected to pay half, then each employee should have half of the company's profits.

The tram extension should not be built until Nottingham City Council can afford it.

MALCOLM G BRADSHAW Portland Road Carlton

DAVID Palmer ("Close down the web to foil techno-terrorists", Post Opinion, February 8) fails to realise how important the World Wide Web is.

Other than the possible confusion of the distinction between the internet and the World Wide Web, Mr Palmer must note that the internet is a lifeline for many around the world, handling many of our communications, allowing extensive knowledge to be accessed at one's fingertips, creating endless possibilities for the development of the human race.

Just think of where we'd be without the internet; poor communications, knowledge limited to only those who are wealthy enough to study.

Referring to the Anonymous hackers as "techno-terrorists" is incorrect. These are intelligent individuals, who have chosen to use their extensive skills for criminal purposes, and it is debatable as to if this is a form of political activism (or "hacktivism").

It is also important we consider that these hacking/cracking incidents have exposed weaknesses, either in political systems or in the safeguarding of sensitive data.

Might I also point out that internet access is seen as a basic human right.

CHRISTOPHER HARDY Havenwood Rise Clifton

I'M fascinated by those who are urging pensioners to give their winter fuel payments to charity.

We're talking about a £200 addition to one of the lowest state pensions in Europe, which you don't get unless you've contributed during your working life.

If we take that £200 and divide it by 52, it amounts to the equivalent of a £3.80 a week increase in pension, which in the case of a single person brings it up to £105.95 – a fortune?

The people encouraging giving the allowance to charity are the likes of Terry Wogan, David Jason and, I've just seen on TV, Anne Widdecombe, all of whom have incomes big enough for them to forgo their state pension and not notice it.

So, Post readers who have given £200 to charity, well done, but those of you who haven't, don't let these people make you feel that in some way you are a benefit scrounger – governments have underpaid the state pension for years.

JOE PHILLIPS Windsor Court Bingham

WHEN will our local and national politicians realise that while they continue to levy extra taxes, the less we have to spend to help the economy improve? British Gas bills indicate that 19% of our gas bill and 10% of electricity bills are to cover "Government obligations and taxes" which includes green levies and social support.

These costs are being imposed by the Department for Energy and Climate Change, without any consideration as to the return on investment.

Wind farms are a typical example as being the most expensive method of producing renewable energy and are a blight on our landscape.

Industrial and Domestic users cannot continue to pay these extra taxes.

The introduction of the Workplace Parking Levy is another burden placed on the motorist so that the city council can contribute to the refurbishment of our main railway station.

The station is owned by Network Rail, a company that receives £4bn of taxpayers' money.

It also could be alleged that with all the savings the council claim to have made along with the increase in service charges we should be looking for a reduction in Council Tax.

Politicians are good at spending our money but not very wisely.

DENNIS ANDREWS (chairman) Nottingham Elders' Forum Vernon House Nottingham

I WOULD like to add to Terry Tomlinson's letter in Monday's Post.

We are all familiar with the quote "It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven, upon the place beneath". Yes, rain water is free, the question is, who does it belong to? Water companies claim that ALL water is their property. However, no consideration is given to the extra water we all "donate" every day from products we purchase for our consumption. In fact, we return more liquids via our drains than we borrow.

We do not actually use water, we just borrow it and return it, plus an extra amount that we do not receive credit for.

They say that increased revenue is used for the improvement of their infrastructure, yet there are still thousands of older properties that still have their original lead pipework.

There is no shortage of fresh water in the UK. The problem is that our water companies lose it as soon as they get it.

TERRY BLOUNT Staverton Rd Bilborough