The Liberal Democrats and the SNP are the only two parties proposing that local services be funded by a Local Income Tax. My views on the matter are recorded (slightly jerkily) below:
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Edinburgh City Council Elections
Matthew Wilson '1'
Gordon Munro '2'
Leith moving forward
About Me
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- My name is Matthew Wilson and I teach at a local secondary school and live in Leith. I believe local politics is about helping make the small changes that improve people's quality of life and about representing an area in the different arenas that can make a difference to the local community. The new Leith Ward will stretch from Newhaven to Restalrig - quite a big ward, with a lot of different people. Leith itself has always had a strong sense of community. Now the Leith Ward is a collection of communities: and a councillor has to be sensitive to the issues in each of them. It is my aim that Leith Ward should have a councillor that is active with the local people, that communicates with people and gives the people of Leith Ward a stong voice in the city council.
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I believe we have to make the right choices so that we can continue to have low unemployment in Leith Ward. So we can have good health care for Leith Ward. So we can have the best education system for our young people. And so we can start using 'green' energy and recycling more for the sake of our children.
Favourite Films
- Once Upon a Time in the West
- Casino Royale
- Thelma and Louise
- Braveheart (just because)
- The Shawshank Redemption
- Casablanca
- Reservoir Dogs
- The Return of the King
- Gladiator
- The Departed
Leith Links
Blog Archive
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2007
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March
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- Making Change Work on the Waterfront
- Guesthouses used in East Hermitage Park
- Anti-Social Letting in Hermitage Park
- Tipping in Primrose Street
- Environmental Policies for Householders
- Safety and Sympathy in Pirniefield Place
- Update on Local Income Tax
- A sense of urgency for Nisbet Court?
- An Eco-City
- Environmentally Friendly Homes
- Leith - West to Leith
- Seafield
- Local Inome Tax - Video Response
- Family Values in Jessfield Terrace
- Re-starting an active Community?
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March
(15)
2 comments:
You say that a local income tax would be unfair. Fine, but isn't it equally unfair that currently pensioners and others on low incomes bear a disproportionate amount of the council tax burden. The income tax system doesn't force people on low incomes to contribute beyond a certain point - why should other forms of taxation target them?
Of course, a really radical approach would be to question why council tax is so high in the first place, but it's probably too much to expect anyone to pursue that line of questioning.
There is a case for reform in all existing tax systems. However, the Local Income Tax hits one particular group alone, and shifts the burden solely onto that income group. The principle of all contributing, at least something, to the services we all enjoy, is lost.
Low income groups do have a relatively higher tax burden, but they are also often the big gainers from local services in ways that other groups do not benefit.
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