Tory Tax Gimmick not good enough

2.31.58pm UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 13th Nov 2007

Commenting on Tory plans to force councils to hold referendums if they want to increase Council Tax above a set level, Welsh Liberal Democrat Local Government spokesperson Jenny Randerson said:

"There is nothing radical or new in this. It amounts to the same result as the Government capping Council Tax under the current system. Elected Councillors can be voted out if the public isn't getting value for money.

"There's no point tinkering with Council Tax. Nobody will take the Tories seriously until they make radical changes - instead of tinkering with an unfair system which they introduced.

"Council Tax is unfair because it is completely unrelated to people's ability to pay. If the Tories were serious about making life better for people they would seek to scrap it. Only the Lib Dems are committed to scrapping Council Tax and replacing it with a fairer system of local taxation. One that is based on people's ability to pay, not the house they live in."

Ends/Diwedd