Lib Dems Challenge Tories on Council Tax

12.00.00am GMT Tue 22nd Nov 2005

Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats are demanding to know what local Tories think about council tax following the vote of their party in Parliament to support revaluation, which would push up the bills of thousands of Milton Keynes residents to levels they would have trouble affording.

During the second reading of the Bill to cancel revaluation, Conservatives tabled an amendment which, if it had succeeded, would have caused council tax bills across England to be forced up in 2007. Fortunately, the amendment was rejected.

Liberal Democrats have consistently called for the replacement of council tax by a fair local tax which reflects the ability of residents to pay. Now Milton Keynes Liberal Democrats have called on local Tories to state clearly whether they support this regressive tax which hits poorest residents the hardest. Every home in Wales was revalued last year, with a third going up a band and only 8% down. The change in Wales has caused widespread protest and any revaluation in England would have similar consequences.

Liberal Democrat parliamentary campaigner, Jane Carr, said: "The Tory 'head' doesn't know what its 'tail' is doing. They're in total confusion over council tax evaluation. What we know for sure is that the Tories invented council tax, they intend to keep it, and - worse - they want to revalue every house in Milton Keynes."