The Scotsman

Tail wags dog?

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It used to be a well worn cliché in Scottish politics that Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie was Nicola Sturgeon’s poodle. But surely now the tables are well and truly turned?

The last two Holyrood budgets have been passed only once the SNP minority administra­tion had agreed to radical Greens demands.

Patrick Harvie has now reiterated that he won’t allow next year’s SNP budget to be passed unless Nicola Sturgeon caves in to his demands over council tax changes. When he last provided details on his requiremen­ts, this meant massive local tax increases for 25 per cent of Scots.

The Greens tail wagging the SNP dog?

MARTIN REDFERN Woodcroft Road, Edinburgh I write in agreement with Alan Lorimer’s statement that council tax is unfair (Letters, 29 March). We bought our house in 2017. It was advertised as band D and, indeed, the previous owners had been charged at band D, even although they had built an extension some years previously.

Some months after we moved in we were advised that the property was now in Band E; the explanatio­n was that it had been extended. Of course we appealed, and were refused –has anyone had a successful appeal? I was advised that section 87(4) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 makes the provision that an improved house has to be reassessed when it is next sold. This is totally unfair.

The sellers enjoyed the lower banding all the years from the time the extension was built until they sold it, while the buyer gets a shock by finding that it is not in the band advertised.

If you accept that the higher banding is correct then the council has received less in tax than it might have done.

RON DUNCAN Chalybeate, Haddington

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