New council tax band hikes for 465,000 homes
A local government review published yesterday proposed the introduction of two new bands of council tax, G2 and H, which would mainly affect more expensive properties in London and southern England.The review advised that properties worth more than £545,000 would in future fall into band G2, and would face an annual tax of £2,500 - affecting about 460,000 homes in total.The proposed H band would be split into three, with the highest band of all covering properties with a value in excess of £2.5 million - roughly 5,000 houses in the UK. Their average yearly charge would be £5,100.Despite the increases for more expensive houses, most householders would be unaffected by the changes.The proposals are based on the 1992 valuation of property prices, but the Government has said a revaluation would not take place during the current parliament.Phil Woolas, the local government minister, commented: "The evidence shows that a revaluation would not have a significant impact on the fairness of council tax relative to income. It would, however, cause significant disruption for individuals and families. The Government will therefore stand by its commitment not to revalue during the lifetime of this parliament."
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