I have read with great interest the articles concerning tax rebates for teachers. I am writing after your article on April12th published in the Times Educational Supplement . I too have applied to my local tax office for a rebate for working horribly long hours at home. The tax office wrote back to say I have been rejected. The exact words were “In practice you may perform many of these tasks at home rather than at school, but it cannot be accepted that these contractual duties of a school teacher require you to provide facilities at home to carry out those duties”.

All the secondary teachers I know work long hours from home and have a room set aside for working. The reply received is literally staggering given that examiners receive a rebate and teachers usually have coursework to mark, which requires at least as much privacy maybe even more as checking others work could be viewed as easier in ways.

Your article also includes a section about the teachers unions not being interested. It seems that their primary aim is a reduction of hours worked. I have attempted to get in touch with the NUT but at best their website is flaky and lacks an e-mail address! I would ask of you to please continue your articles and try and get definitive answers from experts and the tax office. We teachers feel little enough remuneration is received without the taxman taking even more.

Dave Mitchell, 16 Parkway, Oatlands, Weybridge, Surrey KT13 9HDnbsp;nbsp;nbsp;