AS a taxpayer, I think I have the right to say something about the allocation of the resources of our society. No doubt education is important, but other sectors such as housing, social welfare, environmental protection and transportation are just as important, if not more.
I was rather upset after reading Alex Woo's letter, headlined ''College fees don't pay'' (South China Morning Post, June 14) . Mr Woo says our government officials are short-sighted for proposing that 18 per cent of education expenditure needs be recovered from students.
Let us look at this issue in an objective way. Those decision-makers can easily please everyone by suggesting no college fees be paid from now on. This is a typical case of ''I invite guests to dinner and you foot the bill''. Without paying a cent themselves, they can win the hearts of people.
Fortunately, they don't do that because they are responsible people with a sense of justice. This proposal sounds quite reasonable. Rich people have to pay a price for their children's education. What is wrong with that? As for those underprivileged children, they will never be denied higher education because of financial problems, as interest-free loans are available to them. This is a very good arrangement.
In general, people who have been through higher education have greater earning power. In order to show their appreciation for the loans granted to them, financially-aided students should double or even treble the amount they repay after graduation.
How ridiculous can Mr Woo be for suggesting no repayment be made? He knows nothing about the ''give and take'' principle.
