Council tax nightmare for middle class

A revealing story in Scotland On Sunday yesterday was followed up in the Scotsman this morning. Look for council tax to increase after the election if Labour win, at present it seems as though the details will not come out before any election on May because the government don't want to spoil their chances of winning.

"Scotland on Sunday can reveal that Labour wants at least one new charging band to be created at the top end of the market, a move which independent analysis suggests could leave homeowners with an annual council tax bill in the region of £3,000.

The proposals - which could add £1,000 to current bills - have been ordered to ensure that Scots who have benefited most from the house price explosion pay their fair share towards local services.

But the details will not be confirmed until after the general election, leaving Labour open to fresh claims that it is planning to fleece the middle classes."

The Scotsman this morning quotes a well-placed UK government source as saying "The timing on this is poor in terms of the election. They may have had to submit this but someone has clearly been talking too loudly." Obviously, the government had this trick up their sleeves for a while and hoped to win another election before hitting us with it.

The Scotland on Sunday story can be found here.
The Scotsman story here.