THOSE of us who have not lost faith in Western democracy will go to the polls tomorrow to vote in new councils ("Warning over new council members' election", The Herald, May 1).

I urge all voters not to be misled by party-posturing or tribal feelings and vote for the best candidate irrespective of the political party sponsoring them. Your local councillor is probably the most important democratically-elected representative and someone who can bring common sense and courtesy to a council should rank before those merely waving a party banner. I would love to see some strong, independently-minded councillors willing to champion their local wards regardless of what the party whips may say. With some councils likely to be "hung" following this Thursday's vote they could find themselves with ability to make real changes in their wards.

The Single Transferable Vote (STV) voting system was meant to give better representation but already this is being stymied by parties fielding multiple candidates and independent candidates being discouraged from getting involved. If we want to really challenge the party system and get better local representation then vote for the person not the party this Thursday.

Alistair Campbell,

Bowfield, Howwood.

I HAVE received only one item of local election material – a flier from the Labour Party. Apart from that we are a candidate-free zone. I do not know the names or parties of any of the other candidates, there have been no public meetings of which I have been made aware and I have not received a polling card telling me where to vote.

Predictions are that voter turnout could be very low but it is not voter apathy that is at work in my little bit of Glasgow, it is candidate apathy. A 25% turnout might not be low – it might actually be rather high. If candidates don't care why should anyone else?

Rev David A Keddie,

21 Ilay Road,

Glasgow,

AS usual I am preparing to vote at an election this week, but for the first time I have more or less made up my mind to deface my paper – in other words use the long-fought-for right of every individual of the correct age in this country to vote, but to choose to show my own thoughts on the current batch of politicians of all parties.

For years I have advocated that there should be a box on a ballot paper, named Abstain or Protest, to allow voters to use their right to vote, but not to be forced into supporting parties or individuals with whose views one does not agree. We all know that politicians will never agree to such a simple solution – even making voting compulsory, providing such a box appeared on the ballot paper. It would show them up for what they are, in most cases, and also stop them complaining about us giving them low turn-outs.

I do not yet know if I will follow the actions of my Grandpa's friend in Fife who, in the 1930s when he was asked for which party he voted, said that he had scrolled across his ballot paper: "All a bunch of rotters".

Walter Paul,

69 Coplaw Street,

Glasgow.

DOUGLAS Mayer is correct in his criticism of the paltry tax powers conveyed by the Scotland Act (Letters, May 1). Giving the Scottish Government the right to collect the first 10p of the 20p basic rate of income tax is nothing more than a con trick and an illusion, and will have no effect in making it more accountable to the Scottish people.

Whatever annual revenue this might bring in to a Holyrood exchequer (currently estimated at £4.15bn), the UK Treasury will automatically deduct an equivalent amount from the annual block grant. So any future Scottish Government, of whatever political colour, would have no option but to collect the full 10p to avoid its total spendable revenue being reduced. And if it dared to increase the 10p rate, making Scots the highest taxpayers in the UK, it would suffer severe retribution at the next Holyrood election, while the London Treasury could also further reduce the block grant, making the additional tax revenue pointless.

In any case, tinkering with income tax rates is the least effective way to stimulate our country's economy, which is what the Scottish Government desperately needs to do.

Control of all taxes and other economic levers are much more effective. At present Westminster policies (insofar as there are any) to kick-start the UK economy, revive the manufacturing sector and create real jobs to get people off the dole and back to work, seem to be totally ineffective.

As Mr Mayer says, the only way in which Scotland can solve its own problems and ensure its future prosperity is for the Scottish Parliament and Government to have full fiscal autonomy, and control of all the other levers of economic power that any self-governing nation has. Another word for that is independence. Roll on 2014.

Iain A D Mann,

7 Kelvin Court,

Glasgow.