BUSINESSES WORSE OFF UNDER MR BLAIR
New council tax bills and business rate demands will be payable from tomorrow.
In England, many firms are facing soaring bills due to the business rates
revaluation, and in Wales household bills have soared due to the council
tax revaluation. The council tax revaluation in England takes place after
the general election.
Why Labour are all talk
• In 1997 Mr Blair said ‘Labour offers business a new deal for
the future’.
•
Parliamentary questions tabled by Conservatives have revealed that business
rates revaluation in England will raise an extra £1.5 billion a year
for the Government – equivalent to a hike of 10 per cent (Hansard,
15 March 2005, Col. 172w). The Government had previously sought to claim
that the revaluation would be revenue neutral. All talk.
•
In Wales, which is two years ahead of England in the council tax revaluation
cycle, four times as many homes are moving up a band than moving down a
band. If repeated in England, seven million homes will move up a band, meaning
an automatic hike in council tax bills.
• From tomorrow, the average Band D council tax bill in England is £1,214. This is an increase of 76 per cent (+£525) since Labour came to power. Typical bills are now over £100 a month for the first time. Mr Blair has turned council tax into a stealth tax, hammering hard-working families and pensioners. Local government leaders are warning of further council tax hikes in any Labour third term.
Liberal Democrats
Liberal Democrats claim they oppose council tax rises. Yet Liberal Democrat
MPs and peers voted with Labour to support new council tax bands and the
rigged revaluation (Lords Hansard, 10 September 2003, Col. 339; Lords Hansard,
17 July 2003, Cols. 976-80; Hansard, 10 March 2003, Col. 126). Only Conservatives
provide effective opposition to Labour’s third term tax rises.
Liberal Democrats support a barrage of new local taxes on hard-working families,
pensioners and local firms – including congestion taxes, parking taxes
to shop and at work, a dog tax, a hotel tax, development tax, 4x4 tax, VAT
on new homes, local income tax and regional income tax.
What Conservatives will do
Conservatives will:
1. Halve council tax for millions of pensioners. We will introduce a new 50 per cent discount for households where the residents are 65 and over, up to a maximum of £500 a year.
2. Scrap Labour’s plans for new higher council tax bands and a rigged revaluation.
3. Cut back the unfunded burdens, regulations and red tape that have forced up council tax.
4. Ensure fairer funding from Whitehall, by introducing greater transparency over grant distribution.
5. Deliver a fully-funded settlement for local government, with an inflation-matching increase for local councils, and above inflation increases for schools, police and health and social services.
The British people have a clear choice at the General Election:
Conservatives and Mr Howard who will cut council tax bills for millions
of people, or Labour and Mr Blair, who would double the council tax bills.
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