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Solidarity condemns Labour’s defence of the Council Tax |
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Solidarity has condemned the Labour Party for failing to commit to replacing the council tax in their new manifesto released yesterday. Labour have committed to halving the wastewater charges which it says will alleviate some of the burden on the countries poorest, however Solidarity claim this small measure will have little impact on the overall bill that many face. Jim Malone, who heads Solidarity’s North East regional list said; “It is nothing new to learn that New Labour are offering the electorate a tiny bribe in the run up to an election, however what is really needed is not tinkering around the edges of the council tax, but to replace it with an income based system which takes account of people’s ability to pay. On top of this we propose scrapping all domestic water charges and replacing them with a levy on big business. Under our system, those earning under £10 000 per year wouldn’t pay a penny saving many pensioners and low paid workers a small fortune.” Tommy Sheridan MSP, Solidarity co-convener added; “When I put my bill to abolish the hated council tax forward in parliament it was voted down by an unholy alliance of not only the old and new Tories of Conservative and Labour but by the SNP and Liberal Democrats as well. These parties voted to keep the council tax despite having an opportunity to put forward their own, less radical income based alternative. Our Service Tax would benefit 77% of households, while only the wealthiest 16%, who can afford to, will pay more. A team of Solidarity MSPs will be prioritising getting rid of the council tax after the May election.
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