Higher taxes and wasteful public spending seem to go hand-in-hand under a Labour government.

Take Labour's New Deal employment programmes for instance.

Each person placed in work under this programme has cost the taxpayer £24,000.

Under the Conservative alternative - Britain Works - private firms would receive £1,500 for every unemployed person placed in a job and a further £1,500 if the employee was still in the job after three months.

This scheme appears more than generous and would save the taxpayer £400 million per year.

-Michael Williams, Roedean Road, Brighton