Tinkering with our tax bands

Sir, – Are we prepared to have our houses and flats revalued to help bring about a reform of local taxation?

Greens’ spokesman Andy Wightman may be right when he says most of us are paying the wrong amount in council tax (“Greens to force vote to abolish council tax”, The Courier, March 27).

It is one thing to highlight that, but another to ask the public to accept the political and economic upheaval of a revaluation.

It is not surprising most of us have forgotten the rate rises in the 1980s (that helped bring about the unworkable “poll tax”) or the changes to values that came along with the introduction (at breakneck speed) of the council tax in the early 1990s. The plain fact is these valuations are hopelessly out of date.

Who would be the winners and losers if they were, in fact, changed?

Therein lies the dilemma for the Scottish Government.

It may want to go along with the Greens’ idea of a residential property tax. If it does it will almost certainly have to accept revaluation.

With all that is going on with the Brexit negotiations and conjecture about a second independence referendum I doubt whether Holyrood will want to prompt the turmoil.

The Scottish Government wasn’t able to convince either parliament or business some years ago that a local income tax was workable.

I think we are left with the least worst alternative, tinkering again with the existing council tax bands.

Nobody should be surprised if that is what the SNP and the Greens finally agree on when the budget is set next year.

Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.

The Scottish Government wasn’t able to convince either parliament or business some years ago that a local income tax was workable. I think we are left with the least worst alternative, tinkering again with the existing council tax bands