SIR -- Martin Broderick is right to call for Government pensions to be made a General Election issue (Oxford Mail, October 28).

But seeing that Oxfordshire council tax payers are likely to have to fork out yet more for local government pensions, this should also be a council election issue in May 2005.

This year, Oxfordshire County Council will pay an employer's contribution rate of 15 per cent into the council's pension fund, an 18 per cent increase following year-on-year rises since 2002/3 when it was 12.66 per cent.

With a council salary bill of about £100m, this represents £15m of council tax payers' money, or about £33 for every tax payer in the county.

Residents in the Vale of White Horse like me -- 115,627, according to the 2001 census -- will also have to pay the £1m the district council will put into the pension fund.

This represents an employer's contribution rate of 14.64 per cent, a 35 per cent increase following year-on-year increases since 2002/3 when it was 10.86 per cent -- nearly £9 per taxpayer.

Others in Oxfordshire are unlikely to be any better off, seeing that many town, parish and district councils are contributing at a rate of 16.68 per cent.

My employer contributes at a fixed rate of three per cent. Clearly I am in the wrong job.

I doubt there are many in Oxfordshire whose employer is any more generous.

I intend to start a campaign to call for fairer treatment for tax payers.

If your readers would like to support it, I invite them to visit www.bbc.co.uk/dna/ican/G825 or alternatively, e-mail me at pension_campaign@hotmail.com

GLENN COMISKEY

Tyrell Close

Stanford in the Vale