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English Tourist Tax Plea as Council Tax Payers Get 'Unfair' Deal

Last month, members of the Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee called for control over council tax, citing the link between tax and service quality risks undermining local democracy.
Since the 2010s austerity measures, local authority budgets have faced growing financial strain, driven by outdated council tax bands based on 1991 property values, which no longer reflect current property worth, leading to insufficient funding for mandatory services like social care and special educational needs.
The committee recommended that local councils revalue assets, set bands and rates, and apply discounts, with County Councils Network found that retaining locally generated taxes could boost service funding by over £4 billion.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government representative said `The Government is taking decisive action to fix the broken council funding system`, while Pete Marland emphasized `Greater financial certainty and a simpler funding system are important`.
In a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, councils urged for tourist levy powers in the devolution bill, safeguarding residents through a 5% cap on council tax increases without a referendum.

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The Telegraph

Lean Right

The wealthy seaside idyll facing a tidal wave of taxes

Residents of ‘Britain’s Palm Springs’ have seen their lives turned upside down by Reeves’s raid

2 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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Coventry Telegraph

+5 Reposted by 5 other sources

Center

English tourist tax plea as council tax payers get 'unfair' deal

A committee of MPs warned the Labour government that people are becoming more and more unhappy with council tax hikes in their local area. It comes as the Welsh government is set to introduce a tourist tax

2 days ago·Coventry, United Kingdom

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The Argus

+2 Reposted by 2 other sources

Center

MPs call for local authorities to be handed control of council tax

A select committee report said the link between tax and the quality of services is broken and risks undermining democracy.

3 days ago·Brighton, United Kingdom

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The Independent

Lean Left

Local authorities should be given control over council tax, MPs warn

Council tax bill rises hit 5 per cent in April for the third year in a row, as almost all councils increased bills up to, or close to, the maximum permitted

3 days ago·London, United Kingdom

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Room 151

Council tax reform and fiscal devolution must be prioritised, parliamentary committee finds

In a report on the funding and sustainability of local government finance, the cross-party Housing, Communities and Local Government (HCLG) Committee said there was a

2 days ago

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Rother Radio - Rotherham & Sheffield's Best Variety of Hits!

MPs call for local authorities to be handed control of council tax - Rother Radio

Councils should be given control over council tax as the current broken link between the local charge and the quality of services risks undermining local democracy, MPs have warned. An inquiry into the financial sustainability of local government concluded that councils should be given interim powers ahead of reform of “the most unfair and regressive tax in use in England today”, which it said should be more of a priority for the Government. Thi…

3 days ago

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