COUNCIL TAX REFERENDUMS JUST ANOTHER TORY GIMMICK - BURT

11.27.00pm GMT Tue 13th Nov 2007

Commenting on today's proposals by David Cameron's Conservatives that councils should be forced to hold referendums if they wish to increase council tax above a set level, Richard Burt said:

"This gimmick looks as though David Cameron made it up on his way to work.

"Forcing councils to hold referendums on tax increases will have exactly the same impact as the current system of capping. Local councillors are elected and their voters can throw them out if their council tax doesn't give value for money.

"No one in Malvern, Pershore, Tenbury, Upton, or in the surroounding villages will take the Tories seriously until they realise that Council Tax - which they introduced - is fundamentally unfair because it is unrelated to people's ability to pay.

"Why do Conservatives in West Worcestershire think it is right that low income families and pensioners can end up paying the same level of Council Tax as millionaires?

"Only the Liberal Democrats are committed to scrapping Council Tax and replacing it with a fair system of local taxation. We are the only party proposing real cuts to national income tax and the only party which would implement a local income tax based on people's ability to pay."