BBC Poll Backs Lib Dem Call for Local Income Tax

1.03.54am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 8th Mar 2007

A national BBC poll on Council Tax has backed Lib Dem proposals to scrap Council Tax entirely and replace it with a local income tax. The Lib Dem proposals for Local Income Tax would mean the majority of current Crawley Council Tax payers would be better off, with many lower paid including pensioners paying nothing at all.

Of 840 adults interviewed across England for the BBC poll, 59% said basing the tax on eight property price bands was unfair. A similar percentage - 60% - said they were in favour of replacing the current tax with a local income tax.

Liberal Democrat Shadow Local Government Secretary Andrew Stunell MP said "These figures confirm what we have said for years. Council tax is unfair and deeply regressive. It hits pensioners and single income households particularly hard."

"A locally set income tax, which charges people based on their ability to pay, would be fairer and more accountable. This result shows that the British public are clearly supportive of our proposal to abolish council tax and replace it with a fair locally set alternative."