The Scottish Government is consulting on changes to council tax and plan to increase charges for bands E-H. The consultation will run for 10 weeks from 12 July to 20 September 2023. Any changes would come into effect at the start of the 2024-25 financial year.
This is aimed to make the council tax system more fair which is a call that has been made by the Scottish Liberal Democrats for years.However, what this proposal does not tackle is the inherent problem of the current council tax system that is making it unfair which is that most prices are bases on 1991 price evaluations with newbuilds since then having to be based on present prices. The SNP government promised back in 2007 that they would abolish the council tax system and replace it with a fairer system but that seems to have been lost much like most funding and support for local councils.
In a cost of living crisis, this change could cause just more costs for residents of Renfrewshire particually those that might unforunately be on a higher tax band but not in a home that justifies it. People are already having to deal with inflation along with increases in rents and morgages. This feels like nothing more than a sticking plaster answer from the SNP/Green Scottish Government who are failing to tackle the root problems of the council tax system.
We would encourage all local residents whatever they feel to take time to respond to the consultation (It is open until September 20th) and read more about the plans on the Scottish Government website: https://www.gov.scot/news/council-tax-consultation/
Renfrewshire Liberal Democrats have today set out how the SNP and Greens will hammer households with a storm of council tax rises in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, as the party revealed that under new Scottish Government proposals 22,492 household
