Families across Newcastle will welcome council tax proposals announced this week, Barry Flux, Deputy Chairman of Newcastle Conservatives, said today. Conservatives will use direct democracy to control council tax bills, through council tax referendums. This means that any proposed excessive council tax rise above a set rate would require the approval of local residents.
Under the Labour Government, council tax has become one of the most unpopular taxes in Britain – not because of the tax itself but because of large hikes every year since 1997. The answer is not to replace one local tax with another by robbing Peter to pay Paul or creating a different new tax that rises every year.
Council tax has soured across the country under Labour. Since 1997, bills have risen by 92% across England, taking the average Band D bill from £688 to £1,321. Newcastle’s council tax level remains higher than the national average. In 2007/08, averaged across the different tiers of local government in England, Conservative councils charge £55 a year less on Band D bills than Labour councils and £84 a year less than Liberal Democrat councils.
Barry Flux said: “It is clear that only Conservative controlled councils deliver value for money for council tax payers. In 2007/08, Newcastle’s Band D council tax charge is £1,394, which is £73 more than the national average. We have campaigned for many years against excessive council tax increases and this Conservative proposal would give voters in Newcastle the final say on whether council tax increases are reasonable.”
