COUNCIL TAX FREEZE TO BE MAINTAINED says Mather

Jim Mather MSP Argyll & Bute, has welcomed the announcement from his
colleague Finance Secretary John Swinney, MSP, that the Scottish
Government intends to continue the Council Tax freeze into year
2011-2012 in spite of increasing pressure on public finances

Jim Mather said:

"I am pleased to hear confirmed the intention of continuing with the
Council Tax freeze. This is presently in its third year and has provided
welcome relief to hard-pressed households across Scotland. It has
reversed the previous trend of ever rising Council Taxes and yet we see
that the strongest opposition to this policy comes from the Labour Party
in Scotland. In the ten years before 2007, of which eight were under the
shared administration of Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Council Tax
in Scotland rose on average by 60% - in Argyll & Bute the rise was a
staggering 75%. Is this what Labour has in mind for hard working
families at a time of recession and severe restraint? I have no doubt
that the main beneficiaries of this policy are those who are most
vulnerable.

It is ironic that the opponents of this are also those who are most
willing to contest the introduction of a progressive Local Income Tax
based upon the ability to pay. The suggestion that the Scottish
Government is not responding fully to the additional pressures and
demands created by the recession has, in the light of a radically
reduced block grant, an element of selective amnesia.

Two months ago Iain Gray, MSP, the Labour Leader at Holyrood was
challenged to indicate what level of Council Tax rise he would consider
to be acceptable. It surprises nobody that he remained silent.

I note that the Finance Secretary has also identified that during the
previous administration the share of the total Scottish Budget going to
local authorities was declining and that the SNP government made a
manifesto commitment to reverse that trend. This has been accomplished
to date with an increased share going to local government from 33.4% in
year 2007-2008 to 34.1% in year 2010-2011