Council tax alert: Residents hit with 3,000% hikes as parish councils exploit stealth tax 'loophole'

Council tax alert: Residents hit with 3,000% hikes as parish councils exploit stealth tax 'loophole'

Parish and town councils have triggered an £858million surge in council tax bills this year, using a legal exemption that allows them to bypass the five per cent cap placed on other local authorities. While principal councils must hold a referendum to approve higher increases, parish councils face no such restriction, a situation critics have branded a stealth tax 'loophole'.In some areas, bills have jumped by as much as 3,000 per cent, with res…