Reform of Council Tax

Our four Stirling constituency candidates are approaching the finish line in the race to Holyrood.

The only poll that matters will take place next Thursday, May 5, when voters will decide who will represent them in the Scottish Parliament.

Rebecca Bell (Labour), Bruce Crawford (SNP) , Dean Lockhart (Conservative) and Elisabeth Wilson (Lib-Dem) have been

As a result of the SNP’s package of reforms to council tax an additional £100 million a year will be invested in schools across Scotland.

Taking the total additional spend on education under SNP plans to £750m over the course of the next Parliament

Over the past eight years the council tax freeze has helped households across the country keep bills affordable during difficult economic times while ensuring that councils received the funding they required to provide the services people need.

However, the Commission on Local Tax Reform made clear that the present system could be made fairer. Therefore under our proposals the average band E household will pay around £2 per week more and the average household in the highest band will pay around £10 a week more.

These reforms to council tax bands will mean no change for three out of every four Scottish households, with those in lower banded properties paying no more than they do now.

To support those on low incomes and provide additional support to families we will also increase the child allowance within the council tax reduction scheme by 25 per cent.

This boost for low income families will help nearly 140,000 children across Scotland.

Local government is in crisis thanks to a nine year council tax freeze from the SNP. Services are being slashed and it is getting worse.

Scottish Labour will reform the council tax and empower Local Government by devolving new tax raising powers and the surplus from the Crown Estate. Councils will have the ability to raise funds appropriate to their area, whether that be a tourist tax or a land value tax on vacant economically inactive land.

We’ll replace the council tax with a property tax that is fair and progressive.

Nearly 80 per cent of households will pay less than they do today.

Households would pay a percentage of what their property is worth, and that would be capped for the first year.

All discounts, rebates and exemptions would continue to apply, protecting those households who benefit from them.

Local Government has lost tens of thousands of jobs since the SNP came to power.

Refuse collectors, lollipop people, housing maintenance workers and more have been let down by the SNP, as have all of us who have suffered from the cuts. It has to stop.

Scottish Labour are the only party who will stop the cuts and save our local services.