Over 3,000 Households Struggle to Pay their Council Tax in Carshalton and Wallington

1.28.43pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 28th Sep 2006

Yesterday the Joseph Rowntree Foundation published a report which revealed that in Carshalton and Wallington around 3,000 households are struggling to keep up with Council Tax payments. The figure nationally is 2 million households.

Commenting on the report, Tom Brake MP for Carshalton and Wallington and the Lib Dems Local Government Spokesman said, "This comes as no surprise. The Council Tax is the most unfair tax of all. People who earn the least, spend three times as much of their income (as a percentage) on their Council Tax as the highest earners.

"This is because there is no link between how much people earn and how much they pay in Council Tax. This means a pensioner on a small income, living in a flat in Hackney pays about the same in Council Tax as the Prime Minister, Tony Blair who lives in very spacious accommodation at no 10 Downing Street.

"Council Tax should be scrapped and replaced with a local tax based on people's ability to pay. This would be fairer and simpler and cheaper to collect."

Over the summer, Tom Brake has been leading the Liberal Democrat campaign to scrap the Council Tax. For more information and to sign the on-line petition, go to www.axethetax.org.