Transparency on how our money is spent is essential to maintain confidence in the workings of the state, says Dan Owen . Plus letters from Katheryne Schulz and Bernard Harper Public trust depends on rigorous oversight of how taxpayer money is spent. When publicly funded institutions allow office holders to charge personal services to expenses, it raises serious questions about accountability and public office. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor charging his massage services on expenses while a trade envoy is utterly shocking ( Report, 23 February ). Clear rules, full transparency and repayment, plus punishments for malfeasance where costs fall outside the public interest, are essential to maintaining any basic minimum of confidence in the working of the state. Taxpayers should not bear the burden of private benefits, and institutions that rely on public funding should lead by example in rectifying and calling back questionable expenditures. Continue reading...