As we approach the election it seems inevitable that from what the politicians are saying that there will be more cuts during the next parliament to services for disabled, elderly and vulnerable people.

As a partially-sighted and disabled stroke survivor, I am very worried about money, the cost of supporting myself and the future.

My two brothers and I have just had to pay a large capital gains tax bill after selling a property left to us by our parents who recently passed away.

I’m hoping to buy my own property, but I’m looking at a potential stamp duty bill of around £10,000. I cannot work and so making ends meet is very difficult for me.

I would much prefer to be self-sufficient and pay for things with my own money rather than depending on handouts from the Government in the form of benefits.

I really believe that there should be some concession on things like capital gains tax, stamp duty and inheritance tax for disabled people who cannot work.

Having to pay these taxes means that it’s much more likely that they’ll need help from somewhere else later in life. In some ways it would be better for me to buy a very small place, say two rooms upstairs and two rooms downstairs, because that would be much cheaper.

The problem is I have a guide dog called Richie who needs a garden and I might have to stretch myself to afford a spare bedroom so that I can have a lodger to help pay council tax and other bills.

In some countries, people like me are left to fend for themselves and must beg on the street. I hope our country doesn’t become like that.

After leaving school at the age of 18 I worked solidly in full-time employment for more than 30 years, always in full-time employment and have paid much into the system.

Now I want to set myself up to live independently. That was the reason my brothers and I sold the property left to us by our parents but the taxes are crippling and seriously put in jeopardy my chances of setting myself up in a sustainable way.

I would surely love to be out to work like most other people do and I truly loved my job, but I’ve not been able to work since my stroke and brain injury.

I still have a creative, imaginative and problem-solving brain that still has much to offer – but it is very hard to persuade a potential employer that a 52-year-old visually-impaired semi-paralysed man can do the job.

I hate it when people whinge about their jobs and their bosses – just be grateful you’ve got one and can physically do it.

The small amount I get paid for writing this column is fantastic for me but I would very much like to expand my writing. In years gone by I have written about nature, wildlife and natural history.

All I need is for a potential employer to see me for the things I can do and not the things I can’t – or in other words, see me with a glass half-full and not half-empty.