Council tax rises would have hit the poorest
The coalition government has today stepped back from a potential revaluation of council tax bands because of concern that any increase would see the poorest in society hit hardest. This is a sensible approach from the coalition authorities who have been accused of milking the poor to save the rich in light of recent austerity measures announced and set to be introduced in the short to medium term.
At the same time the coalition parties have suggested that the previous Labour government had actually pencilled in a council tax by revaluation although in reality the recent Labour Party manifesto specifically mentioned the fact that no revaluation was on the cards. As a consequence we have a battle between the leading parties today each criticising the other in what has become something of a slanging match.
Any increase in council taxes over the next few years would likely have sealed the fate of the coalition government at the next general election. The UK electorate is already struggling to survive at the moment and a blatant move to increase government income, at the expense of everyday households in the UK, would not have gone down well. However, David Cameron and his coalition colleagues cannot afford to give away any more money at this point in the economic cycle.
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