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Mike Weatherley: Council tax has gone through the roof

New research exposes hike in bills under current Government

The Government has published council tax figures for each council in the country, exposing that council taxes are again rising this year by an average of three times the rate of inflation. In Brighton and Hove council tax will be £1,162 for the forthcoming year on Band D bills. Yet new Conservative research has shown that since 1997 council tax bills have soared by £563 equivalent to a hike of 94% - or 10 times the rate of inflation.

Mike Weatherley, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Brighton Pavilion said,

“Across the country, council tax bills have gone through the roof since Labour came to power. Under Labour, council tax has become a stealth tax, engineered by Gordon Brown through fiddled Whitehall funding. And the inefficiency of the Labour council has made the problem worse.” 

“At the same time, wage packets have shrunk thanks to Labour’s jobs tax (supported by Liberal Democrats) of pushing up the rate of National Insurance, with more taxes to come in any potential third Labour term. Brighton and Hove residents are paying ever higher taxes, without the consistent improvements in our public services that we all want to see.”

Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn the Conservative Leader of the Opposition on Brighton & Hove City Council added: " The Labour Government has added a hidden tax burden by placing duties on the City Council which result in a further 8 million pounds per annum being payable by the residents of the City." he added " this is not just for one year but is an ongoing charge."

Further Information: 

The Government has published outturn council tax figures for 2004-05.

England: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2004_0069

Wales: http://www.wales.gov.uk/keypubstatisticsforwalesheadline/content/local-gov/2004/hdw200403231-e.htm

Scotland: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/CSU/DD-EAS-LG/00016945/avbandD96to04.xls

The charts below, based on Conservative research, shows the changes in council tax since 1997.

(Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn is Brighton and Hove City Council Conservative Group Leader

Garry can be contacted on  01273 291186 or email garry.peltzer.dunn@brighton-hove.gov.uk)

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