Axe the Tax - Labour in Local Disarray

12.00.00am GMT Wed 29th Oct 2003

Councillor John Cole ( Lib Dem Baildon ) has welcomed the announcement by the Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford that he will be looking seriously at Local Income Tax.

Cllr Cole who recently put a motion to Council calling for this said:

"Two days after Labour on the Council opposed even thinking about a Local Income Tax, their own minister has said that it merits serious consideration!"

"Unfortunately the Government has still failed to pledge to scrap the unfair council tax.

Labour inherited this unfair tax from the Conservatives, so what is stopping Ministers addressing the council tax problem directly? Council tax is now so unfair to millions of pensioners and people on low incomes that it must be scrapped."

"The danger is that Labour could add local income tax on top of council tax. That would be a two tax solution, to a one tax problem."