LIB DEMS WARN OF BIG COUNCIL TAX BILLS IN THE FUTURE

2.20.00pm GMT Mon 6th Dec 2004

Liberal Democrat Shadow Finance Spokesperson for Manchester City Council, Cllr Mark Ramsbottom has warned of big Council Tax bills in the future unless the Council Tax is capped.

He said "The Council Tax is a disaster waiting to happen. The Government have clearly handed out extra cash to certain local authorities in order to stave off the prospect of big Council Tax increases just before a general election next year, but it will not stop a crisis in the future."

Last week the Government announced over £ 1bn extra for local councils to help keep Council Tax bills down, but Cllr Ramsbottom says that this is just papering over the cracks of a flawed system."

"The threat of Council Tax revaluation will mean huge increases in Council Tax bills in the future." he said, "Property prices have rocketed since 1991 when the Tories introduced the Tax, so everyone knows that huge increases are around the corner unless the Government scraps the Council Tax and replaces it with a fairer alternative.

Liberal Democrats have pledged to scrap the Council Tax and replace it with a Local Income Tax that would be based on people's ability to pay.

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For further information contact Cllr Marc Ramsbottom.