I DON’T ALLOW charities to obtain a tax rebate when making donations because, by forcing the Chancellor to raise taxation to meet the shortfall, others would be forced to donate to the charities of my choosing. Am I right?
No. What this mean-spirited and bourgeois-hating Chancellor does is a matter for his conscience, not yours. He doesn’t appear to possess one, so carry on.
David Taylor, Leeds
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My son is a policeman. His lodger, a close friend, often drives while drunk. What should my son do?
That your son is a policeman is irrelevant; we are all obliged to uphold a moral code. He should call his local police and let them deal with it next time — if a child dies, it will not be through your son’s inaction.
Graeme Leitch, via e-mail
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I am a school librarian. The first thing I do on getting to work is to read Modern Morals in T2. Children have to wait while I do this. I could get to work earlier, but then the children will come into the library earlier. Can I justify this?
I am also a school librarian. I also turn first to Modern Morals, but tell the pupils that if they appear outside the library before 8.30 it will not open that day. I’m not paid to work until 8.45 in any case.
Dinah Robertson, via e-mail
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My close friend of 30 years has started wearing a new perfume that smells like a bathroom air-freshener of cheap manufacture. I find this intolerable close at hand. What is the solution?
If you don’t want to confront it directly, try a gift basket. Include scented soaps, lotions and expensive deodorants. Your friend should get the message, as well as smell lovely.
Your other choice is to peg your nose.
John O’Byrne, Dublin
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FACING A DILEMMA?
Have you dilemmas of your own? Write to: Modern Morals, Times Features, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1TT. E-mail: modernmorals@thetimes.co.uk.