Council tax has once again being thrown into the spotlight after Labour leader Keir Starmer warned that many families are facing "bombshell" bills. It's most welcome that he is standing up for taxpayers in these difficult times.
Local authorities will be permitted to raise council tax by up to 4.99 per cent. A typical band D household could see their bills rise by as much as £106.
As previous TPA research has revealed, ratepayers have suffered year-after-year of inflation-busting council tax rises. All the while local authorities splash the cash on vanity projects and six-figure pay packets.
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Writing for ConservativeHome this week, I praised Milton Keynes Council (MKC) for using its sizeable reserves to keep a rise to a more manageable 2.5 per cent. But if MKC hadn't have been so wasteful in the past perhaps rates could have been frozen.
That's why we want to hear from you. Let us know if your council is planning to raise rates and by how much? Many authorities also send out letters and emails trying to justify why they are increasing taxes. I would be very grateful if you forward these onto the TaxPayers' Alliance.
We will call out councils that plead poverty after wasting taxpayers' cash and then hike council tax as a result.
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TaxPayers' Alliance in the news
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A "rough" deal for taxpayers
The Daily Telegraph reports that the billionaire owner of the exclusive Wentworth golf course has "received hundreds of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money to furlough staff." There has been considerable backlash, that owner Dr Chanchai Ruayrungruang (whose wealth is estimated at £9 billion) has taken advantage of the government scheme.
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Asked for comment by the Telegraph, our chief executive John O'Connell summed up the feelings of many, "Organisations should bear in mind that this money ultimately comes from taxpayers, and support should only be sought if it's really needed. Taxpayers will have long memories of those that helped in the national effort and those that didn’t."
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A criminal use of public money
Last week we learned that West Midlands Police is advertising for a "fairness and belonging" director with a salary of £74,000 a year. But the situation has worsened. The Daily Mail reports that the force are recruiting for two more "woke" jobs with combined salaries of over £100,000.
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Voicing his dismay at the news, our digital campaign manager Joe Ventre told the Mail, "The need for these fanciful policing positions is bound to be questioned. Taxpayers expect their hard-earned money to be spent on cops fighting crime, not on non-jobs and cultural commissars. Police chiefs must be able to justify these costs or refocus their funding on the frontline."
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BBC - British Buzzing Corporation?
Just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger, The Sun revealed that to ensure social distancing the BBC is ordering all its staff to wear covid alarms that buzz if they get too close to each other. This technological solution isn't likely to come cheap and the TPA is endeavouring to find out the cost.
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As John O’Connell told reporter Kate Ferguson, “Taxpayers will wonder why BBC staff need high-tech tags for social distancing. Everyone else is expected to use common sense to keep within the covid rules. The Beeb needs to be careful to keep these costs under control.”
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National Pothole Day
Potholes are a blight on Britain's roads, so much so that we now have a day dedicated to them every year. Using figures provided by the TPA, The Daily Telegraph reported on this important taxpayer topic. For example. did you know that at the last Budget, chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged £1.6 billion to fix potholes?
But even that doesn't seem to be enough to stop the roads falling into disrepair and many argue there is still a funding shortfall. As I told the Telegraph we could easily fund repairs by scrapping the government's favourite vanity project, "Clearing Britain's backlog of potholes would be a drop in the ocean compared to the mammoth cost of HS2. The estimated price tag would be less than a tenth of the latest predicted cost for the rail project."
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Taking up the fight for taxpayers, Danielle Boxall wrote an excellent blog on the issue. She rightly argues that given the huge amount of tax motorists pay, our roads simply aren't good enough, "Anyone that’s driven or been a passenger won’t be surprised to hear that according to the World Economic Forum, the UK’s road quality ranks 37th in the world, closely followed by Rwanda in 39th." Click here to read more.
With the pandemic forcing people to stay at home and fewer cars on the roads, councils have the perfect opportunity to crack on with repairs. While we’re all paying our taxes and staying indoors as much possible, councils must do everything they can to annihilate these atrocities and save our money.
Have you spotted any cavernous potholes whilst you’ve been out for your daily exercise? Show us how bad it is in your area via our Facebook page.
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Stamp duty: support the campaign to unlock homes
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If you haven't done so already please sign our petition calling for the rise in the stamp duty threshold to £500,000 to be made permanent. More pressure is being put on the government to extend the deadline of 31st March which risks pushing the property market over the edge.
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Throughout our 16 year history we've consistently called for it to be abolished. A permanent cut in stamp duty will be a boon to many - tax cuts change lives, not just balance sheet. We will take this petition direct to the Treasury so please ask your friends and family to sign it too.
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Taking the biscuit
A freedom of information request revealed that last year assembly members in Northern Ireland indulged themselves on three-course lunches and finger buffets all at taxpayers' expense. Costing more than £5,400 treats included gourmet sandwiches, scones and biscuits. There was even a £54.88 bill for bottled water.
Asked for comment by local reporters, Joe Ventre didn't mince his words, "Taxpayers will feel anything but refreshed upon learning that they've been forking out for indulgent Stormont committee catering. Whilst assembly members tucked in, households across Northern Ireland were served an economic crisis last year. MLAs must do a better job of eliminating waste and keeping costs down, starting with their own refreshments."
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Harry Fone
Grassroots Campaign Manager
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