|
******************************************************************
Press release - Christine Grahame MSP and SNP Westminster
Candidate, Paul Wheelhouse
Attn news desks - 12th February 2009
SNP GOVERNMENT TO SAVE SCOTTISH BORDERS COUNCIL TAX PAYERS £234
WELCOME FOR COUNCIL TAX FREEZE UNTIL 2012
OPPOSITION DENY TAX PAYERS BIGGEST TAX CUT IN A GENERATION
The SNP's Christine Grahame MSP and Paul Wheelhouse, who is SNP
Westminster Candidate for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk have
welcomed a commitment from the SNP Government that funding will be
made available for a Council Tax freeze until 2012 - meaning that
the average Band D Council Tax payer in the Borders will save a
total of £570 over the four years of the SNP Government, with Band D
Council tax being £234 lower per annum than it might have been by
2011/12.
Ms Grahame and Mr Wheelhouse also welcomed the reaffirmation by
the Finance Secretary John Swinney MSP that the SNP was determined
to scrap the unfair Council Tax, and will seek to win a majority in
the 2011 Scottish Parliament election to ensure the final abolition
of the tax and the introduction of a system based on ability to pay.
Local Income Tax would ensure the biggest tax cut in a generation
for low and middle income families.
Christine Grahame MSP also criticised the "unholy alliance" of
Tory and Labour politicians who have blocked the scrapping of the
Council Tax which rose by 94% in the Borders under the previous Lib
Dem and Labour Scottish Executive.
Commenting, Christine Grahame said:
"Under the SNP people will pay not a penny more in council tax in
2011 than they did in 2007. People across the Borders will on
average save £111 by next year and will save even more in the years
to come.
"In these tough economic times this is good news for hard-pressed
council tax payers. The SNP has already delivered its promise of a
council tax freeze in its first year in Government and looks set to
achieve a continuing freeze for the coming year.
"That and this new pledge of a council tax freeze for the full
term of the Parliament goes way beyond that promise and is good news
for the people of the Scottish Borders.
"If the opposition had been in power we would have seen council
tax continue its steep climb upwards. In the Scottish Borders,
council tax rose by a massive 94%.
"The next stage in our plans is to seek a majority mandate in the
next Scottish Parliament election in 2011 to ensure we can finally
scrap the council tax and save low and middle income families in the
Borders even more of their own money.
SNP Westminster Candidate, Paul Wheelhouse commented:
"It is to the shame of the Labour and Tory parties that they have
blocked the minority SNP Government's plans in the Scottish
Parliament to abolish the unfair Council Tax system. The discredited
Council Tax increased by 94% from an average of £558 in 1996/97 to
£1084 by 2007/08.
"Until the SNP Government was elected, the Borders had therefore
seen increases that were far worse than the average increase of 62%
across Scotland, despite our area having amongst the lowest average
earnings.
"If council tax had increased at the same rate that it did under
the previous Lib Dem and Labour Executive, average council tax
payers in the Borders would have been faced with paying an extra
£234 per annum by 2012.
"Now, under the SNP, they will enjoy an average annual saving of
£234 per year by 2011/12, with an average total saving of around
£570 per household over the four year term of the Parliament.
"However, by preventing Council Tax's abolition, and replacement
with a fair Local Income Tax, the Tories and Labour are denying the
average single pensioner a saving of £390 a year and the average
pensioner couple a saving of over £730 a year.
"Families are also losing out due to Labour/Tory obstinacy to the
tune of an estimated £150 to £280 a year. Of course this additional
spending power could also have been benefiting local businesses too.
"Thanks to this Labour/Tory pact, an estimated 85,000 Scots will
now remain in relative poverty - including 15,000 children. This
indifference to real hardship further demonstrates that Labour, and
the Tories, are out of touch with the concerns of those on low
incomes.
"Christine, myself and the SNP team in the Borders are determined
to ensure that the Labour/Tory pact does not succeed and that
pensioners and families in the Borders can enjoy a fair system of
local taxation based on the ability pay."
ENDS
**********************************************************************
Notes to Editors:
Total saving of £570 estimated as follows:
· Saving in 2008/09 over 2007/08 = £54 per annum (based upon
estimated 5% increase likely on 2007/08 figure of £1,084)
· Saving in 2009/10 over 2007/08 = £111 per annum
· Saving in 2010/11 over 2007/08 = £171 per annum
· Saving in 2011/12 over 2007/08 = £234 per annum (based upon an
estimate that council tax may otherwise have reached £1,318 for Band
D properties - up by 21.6% on 2007/08.
This produces a total estimated (cumulative) saving of £570 over
the period of the Parliament.
Projected Council Tax figures for years 2008/09 to 2011/12 are
based upon an assumed average nominal increase of 5% per annum in
the absence of Scottish Government support to SBC to freeze Council
Tax. This compares with an average increase of 6.2% per annum in the
Scottish Borders area between 1996/97 and 2007/08 (the final year
under the previous Lib Dem and Labour Executive).
|
