Letter: Price fixing could save others too

I READ with surprise that 72 per cent of respondents to your online poll think that minimum pricing will be effective in tackling Scotland's drink problem.

Also, I have heard the Health Secretary quoting figures for the number of lives it will save in the first year of implementation.

So, if "saving lives" is justification for price fixing, then I suggest the government should consider setting a maximum price for a unit of electricity to help pensioners heat their homes in winter.

When that proves very successful they could then set a maximum proportion of income that can be paid in council tax. Pensioners might then be able to afford a reasonable standard of living, and perhaps even enjoy the occasional (overpriced) drink.

Chris Paton, Lanark