Libdems call for halt to Council Tax revaluation

11.27.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 1st Apr 2005

Ed Davey MP, Libdem Spokesperson on Council Tax

Edward Davey MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow to the ODPM, commenting ahead of Friday's Council Tax revaluation, said "Both the other parties try and deny it, but they simply have no solutions to spiralling Council Tax bills. The biggest post-election tax rises will come from the Labour and Tory-backed plans for revaluation.

"The whole Council Tax system is bust, and it is time to scrap it. Liberal Democrat plans to replace it with a fair system based on ability to pay would cut the typical family's bill by around £450 a year.

"Labour has already forced Council Tax bills to rise by up to 22% in Wales and the same will happen to England and Scotland after the election.

"The whole revaluation process is random and arbitrary, with some poorer areas seeing bills rise by hundreds of pounds, while some richer areas get tax cuts."

Richard Stevens, Stone's Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate commented "I am very concerned that the revaluation will hit residents of this constituency very hard indeed. The government's own figures show an increase in house values of over 150% in the last 10 years in Stone. This is bound to be reflected in many peoples Council Tax bills next year. There is only one solution. The tax should be axed and replaced by a fairer system based on a person's ability to pay - a local income tax"