Sir, I have just received my questionnaire from the county council about plans for a Tory stealth tax to be imposed on the residents of Oxford by charging us to park in our own streets.

The questionnaire that accompanies the stealth tax proposals is as biased as any I have ever seen.

The first question is: "Do you agree that there should be a consistent policy for charging for parking permits throughout Oxfordshire?" Most fair-minded people will answer yes to that question. The reality is that residents' parking was not introduced in Oxford to benefit Oxford residents over the rest of Oxfordshire residents. It was introduced in 1973 to ensure that the park-and-ride system worked.

I know, because I was involved in the first residents' parking scheme introduced in West Oxford.

The majority of residents opposed its introduction, but were assured that it would ensure that the park-and-ride system was viable. County towns like Henley charge for residents' permits because they do not have park-and-ride schemes.

Oxford residents should, therefore, state that they disagree with a consistent policy across Oxfordshire, because you are not comparing like with like. The council officers who prepared this questionnaire know that to be the case and have betrayed any sense of neutrality on this issue. They should be ashamed of themselves. They have become the architects of the Tory stealth tax and as such are acting not as public servants but as Tory accomplices.

John Power, Oxford