Council tax is outdated
Your excellent article on £ 7.5 million council tax still owing to South Ayrshire Council just served to show what an ass this tax is.
It is not progressive, it is unfair and its basis is years out of date.
At the end of 2015, when in Parliament, I was a member of a party group that reviewed local revenue alternatives which included a local income tax, site valuation tax, sales tax etc. This had taken the Local Government Minister of the time and his officials a lot of time in preparing a worthwhile discussion document.
For some unknown reason and without further discussion or explanation, the Scottish Government rejected any change despite it being in its 2011 manifesto and then compounded that position by selecting to continue with a council tax based on rateable values that are many years out of date, then relating that to very selective determination of council tax bandings.
Application of the council tax bears little or no relationship to ability to pay.
For example in many households and in the higher bands, some of which houses were purchased over years when both partners worked, and that house purchase being a key family objective in the interests of the whole family, there may be only one partner left living on perhaps a small personal pension and a state pension. Widows or widowers, they are about to face a significant imposition on their income.
However, the stupidity of the situation is that in following some sort of “left wing ideology”- whatever that is - adopted by the Scottish Government, the impact on consumption will be reduced with the ultimate consequences that more small businesses and stores will feel the pinch and jobs will be lost. This will reduce business rates and income tax and make it harder for those subsequently made redundant to meet their council tax bills and businesses to shut.
So the merry goes round. And if you don’t believe me ask why we have £ 7.5 million council tax bills unpaid thus far?
The UK Government and the Scottish Government economic and fiscal policies are in tatters.
We have to expand our local economy through increased outside investment, generate revenues, and reduce costs by convincing the Scottish Government to meet its commitment, for example,” to a promised “bonfire of the quangos”( and the grossly inflated salaries of those at the top of them), have the local authorities dispose of their underutilised assets and buildings - at least saving money on their maintenance and energy costs, setting up measurable efficiency and productivity programmes across every area of the council and make that publicly known and encourage neighbouring councils to cut costs by sharing activities such as development, operation and administration of IT systems like payroll.
We don’t need three of these in Ayrshire and a combined task force across all three councils should be tasked with reducing those and similar costs quickly. Ayr and Ayrshire can then be seen as the “go to” place in Scotland as to how to run public services efficiently on behalf of its citizens.
Then the Scottish Government should embark on a local income regime that combines a local income tax with a site valuation tax, successful in Denmark for example.
It is difficult, but then so is courage and leadership. All those who have still to pay the Council Tax should just sit back and wait for this nationalist government to follow precedent and, as with the poll tax evaders, be excused. An open letter to East Ayrshire Council leader Douglas Reid.
East Ayrshire Council have declared that the abandoned opencasts “will be restored or re- used”.
To help with this, they plan to redefine the word “restoration” as something which is to be “subjective” and covers any and all outcomes at a site after minerals are extracted.
If you are in agreement with this proposal, then I would like you to put your garden where your mouth is. I will donate £ 500 to the charity of your choice if you allow me to dig up your garden and ‘ restore’ it in line with the proposed definition of ‘ restoration’ within the Minerals Local Development Plan.
At Dunstonhill, the massive voids and mounds have been smoothed off a bit. A huge shortfall in funds ( due to EAC failures) meant that was the best that could be made of a shocking situation. Rather than show humility and contrition, you said there had been “exciting progress”. Well, here is your chance to bring that excitement closer to home!
I look forward to your letter explaining:
1, that the council have seen sense and put works into three separate categories as I have suggested;
2, why a word has one definition when your garden is involved, and another meaning in relation to the countryside we collectively share, or; 3, when I should book the digger? Whatever you decide, it should be your last act as leader. Your resignation really would be “exciting progress”. The Bard, the ploughman and the honest rogue.
They’re all the same man, of course, and because of him Ayrshire’s well known as the Land o’ Burns.
Currently, our Rabbie’s being toasted world- wide again. Drouthy neibors will neibors meet and, amid sangs and laughters, marvel anew at the poet’s epic creation, Tam o’ Shanter, ( frae Shanter, logically enough}.
Despite all this, I’m a worried man, more troubled every January 25.
I mean, where the devil did misnomered Tam O’Shanter spring from?
Tam was given a heroic lust for life ( and beer) by our bard, but no family name, for goodness sake. O’Shanter? Sounds like a singer ‘ way down the bill on a Celtic Connections advert.
No offence, Celtic folkies, but it gars me greet.