New SNP tax raid to hit middle class Scots

THE SNP is preparing a fresh middle-class tax raid by scrapping or reducing council tax discounts for people who live alone or who own vacant properties.

Exemptions and discounts for single occupancy and empty homes face being cut by more than half or removed altogether under proposals announced yesterday.

The £105million raised by scrapping these reductions would be used to fund a 50 per cent discount for half a million ‘low income’ households across Scotland.

A Scottish Government report published yesterday claimed many single person households ‘do not face issues of affordability’ and are ‘subsidised’ by other taxpayers.

The report said single occupancy discounts cost councils £85million a year, while the exemption on vacant households costs £20million.

It added: ‘There is a strong case for reducing or removing these discounts. Ministers wish to consider reducing the single occupant status discount from 25 per cent to 10 per cent and remove altogether the vacant property exemption.

‘Scottish ministers wish to consider how the additional revenue this would raise can best be used to give further assistance to those genuinely facing difficulty paying.’

The consultation document, titled Investing In And Paying For Your Water Services From 2021, says a third of all households in Scotland are occupied by one person. It argues that ‘there is no service-related cost justification for providing discounts for single occupancy or for vacant properties’ because ‘drainage costs are not dependent on the number of occupants’.

Reducing the single person discount to 10 per cent would leave a typical Band A taxpayer living alone worse off by around £125 a year, while those living in Band C properties would lose out by around £165.

Scottish Tory environment spokesman Donald Cameron said: ‘Council tax is already a progressive system and those with low incomes rightly receive discounts.

‘It is ridiculous to suggest single occupancy and vacant homes use as much water as a fully occupied house and there is every reason to maintain these discounts as a result.

‘These proposals are nothing more than an obvious attempt to increase council taxes by stealth, especially on single occupancy homes and vacant properties.

‘This, once again, demonstrates that under this SNP Government, hard-working taxpayers pay more and get less.’

A decision on whether to implement the proposals will follow a 12-week consultation period.

Council body Cosla said it had not been made aware of the proposals.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We want to do more to protect the poorest in society. Any possible reduction in the discount for single person households, which we are seeking views on, would allow increased discounts for those on low incomes to be introduced.

‘We would encourage as many people as possible to take part.’

Comment – Page 20

‘Pay more and get less’