With reference to Val Valente's letter (July 14), it is refreshing to see that someone other than St James is asking government to put more money into culture. Unfortunately, St James has no say on how much money is allocated to culture by the government.

So Mr Valente is addressing the wrong institution. The same can be said for the issue of VAT. We do not deduct VAT. That is something between the artists and the VAT man. Ironically, a reduction in VAT for the arts was one of the proposals I had asked the Arts Council to speak to the government about at the annual meeting held last year.

I am however very upset that Mr Valente persists in giving the wrong impressions. Mr Valente is incorrect in stating that management takes away nine seats for each performance. Far from it. I have to repeat that the board and management are very sensitive to this issue and are very careful on this matter.

The charge for piano tuning is Lm12 plus VAT - exactly the amount we are charged by the tuner, as most people who own a piano will attest. And I am also happy to note that most artists are happy enough to want to return to work with us and book dates with us on a regular basis; indeed our experience is that most performers apply for new dates almost as soon as their latest performance has finished. A look at our website (www.sjcav.org) and upcoming events is testament to this.

I am glad to hear that the National Musicians Union is still alive and I wish it a long and prosperous future.

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