Council Tax - letter to Oxford Mail

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 30th Mar 2006

Liberal Democrats know that Council tax in the city is too high and gives poor value for money. Nationally, we oppose the continuation of council tax which is unfair and inefficient. It hits hardest the poorest on fixed incomes, often pensioners . Liberal Democrats want it abolished and replaced by a tax based on people's ability to pay.

Locally, so long as this unfair tax exists, Liberal Democrats want not higher taxes but the council to give better value for the taxes it raises: it could make a start by getting down the rates of sick absence, getting up the rate of collection of council tax and dealing with housing benefit claims promptly and accurately and it could stop losing money hand over fist in the council's leisure services. The lack of financial controls in the council's leisure services has just been judged to be "unacceptable": a rarely used bottom category. In all of these ways the Labour-run council is nationally judged to be weak and not getting better.

Last week the new demand for next year's city council tax, set by the Labour minority administration in its dying days, dropped through my and many other letter boxes. Labour are demanding a 4% increase this year and another 4 % increase the following year and another 4% increase the year after that - 12 % over three years. Labour want the council tax to go on rising, above the rate of inflation, year on year. Liberal Democrats want better value for money and no increase in taxation unless we can be certain that better services require it.

When the city council tax for the coming year was set only the Liberal Democrats voted against this unwarranted rate of increase in council tax. Greens sat decisively on their hands and IWCA were absent. Liberal Democrats proposed instead a lower tax increase immediately of 3.5% and 3% for each of the following two years. Over the three years of the budget this would reduce the increase proposed by Labour by 20%. We know that there is great scope for increasing efficiency in the city council - the only officially "weak" council in Oxfordshire - and for improving services before putting new burdens on the poorest members of our society.

John Goddard, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition, Oxford City Council