Lull before the storm on Council Tax

4.19.49pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sun 20th Feb 2005

Bucks County Council is proposing another increase in Council Tax above the rate of inflation. It means that Council Tax will have doubled since Labour came to power in 1997.

The increase will be about 5% and would have been higher but for government pressure to make cuts in services and minimize the increase ahead of the general election.

Peter Chapman

Liberal Democrat campaigner Peter Chapman said "It just shows that Council Tax is a totally inappropriate way of raising local finance. The government imposes extra duties on local authorities but holds back the money to do the job. The huge increase in Council Tax over the last 8 years has been unfair to pensioners and others on fixed incomes. Council Tax takes an ever bigger slice of their income. Liberal Democrats propose to abolish this unfair tax and replace it with local income tax which will be related to what people can afford to pay. 7 households out of 10 will pay less under local income tax."

Peter Chapman had a stark warning for the future. "After the election the government will be revaluing all properties in England. Buckinghamshire house prices have gone up more than the national average since the last revaluation in 1991 so expect many properties to jump up a band or two."

An increase of one band means your Council Tax will go up by about 20% on top of any other annual increase.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party committed to abolishing this unfair tax which hits hardest the least well off members of society and particularly pensioners.