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Ian Yuill
Liberal Democrat councillor for Mannofield, Airyhall, Braeside, Broomhill, Garthdee, Kaimhill and Ruthrieston Learn more
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South Anderson Drive footpath concrete blocks update
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Anger at SNP’s £553 Council Tax hike
by Ian Yuill on 18 January, 2017
I have been contacted by a number of residents who are angry that changes to Council Tax rules introduced by the SNP Scottish Government mean they face an increase in their Council Tax bill of up to £553 a year.
This increase in Council Tax – which is being imposed by the SNP Scottish Government and not by the council – affects houses in Council Tax bands E, F, G and H. The increase will take effect from April this year.
Aberdeen City Council finance staff have calculated that the changes to the annual Council Tax for bands E-H will be:
Current (£) New (£) Increase (£) Band E 1,503.81 1,616.46 112.65 Band F 1,777.23 1,999.38 222.15 Band G 2,050.65 2,409.51 358.86 Band H 2,460.78 3,014.46 553.68
* These figures do not include the separate Water Charge which is collected with the Council Tax.
I believe the Council Tax is an unfair tax as it is not based on income and takes no real account of people’s ability to pay.
These SNP imposed increases in people’s Council Tax bills will hit hard at time when many are already struggling because of the downturn in our local economy.
9 Comments
The dying desperate measures of a party which once promised in their manifesto to replace council tax. Another lie and a surefire nail in their coffin
I have always thought that the bands for council tax are unfair as I am now a pensioner and my wife has just been made redundant the rise will be hard to swallow.
Dear Councilor Yuill,
I am fortunate that I can afford to pay an increased Council Tax, however, there are those in Aberdeen that cannot, especially now with the downturn in the price of oil and workers being laid off, I note also that the Food banks are still functioning.
Does the proposed Council Tax hike include an improvement in elderly care, or extra help for those that are in need?
I view this increase in the tax as confirmation that the SNP are their failure to run Scotland in an efficient manner and they would do better to pour their resources into improving the lives of those have nots rather than their eternal need for an second independence referendum.
Kind regards
George Shepherd
I am very angry at this move made by our SNP government in Edinburgh. I really cannot make head nor tail of their policy. As we have lost most of the Oil Industry I still cannot see what sense they have in further destroying our economy.
What angers me more than ever is that no person or party really manage to “rattle” or get the SNP to really come clean to the public – only independence is their policy – always has been and always will be so until they are defeated.
Dear Ian,
They freeze Council Tax for a number of years to gain support then impose a huge increase in one go.How are pensioners on fixed income expected to fund such a change.For many any inflationary pension increase they receive will be swallowed up by this change..
Also,we have a situation where I believe the SNP are the party of the central belt and north of Perth is treated unfairly.
Wish they would get on with governing the country properly rather than chasing their pipe dreams.
Regards,
Jim
Presumably this is a nation wide council tax increase on higher value properties and not just Aberdeen city? I only say that to try and diffuse the anti-central belt rhetoric that I see a lot of round Aberdeen which is not helpful. I do agree that any increases in council tax (or any other tax) need to be justified, and I am concerned with some of SNP’s policies that seem to be more ideological rather than practical but yet still need to be paid for, i.e. free prescriptions, free school meals up to p3 for everyone, this new ‘baby box’, 3 IVF treatments instead of 2 etc etc. Unfortunately most of what is dispensed ‘free’ ends up being wasted by individuals that couldn’t care less, or to be slightly less cynical end up with stuff they simply don’t want or need. As a result we, the taxpayers, end up footing the bill with the environment paying the ultimate price.
Yes, its Scotland wide.
My husband and myself are pensioners who have both worked all our lives. Yes we own a three bed detached house but we have no intention of selling it as my husband built it and it is a dearly loved part of our 50 years together and a lot of hard work and sacrifices went into it. We try to make the most of our retirement and enjoy holidays in Tenerife but to do this we recently made cut backs including doing away with the basic Sky TV package. Now it seems what we saved doing this will have to pay our Council Tax increase. People like us are being penalised by the Scottish Government…..2 people living in a detached house paying the same amount of Council Tax as 4 people earning an living and staying in the same size of house.
l agree .I Am in the same boat ,we should all get together and protest .power to the over sixty. David.