Some Britons are now paying 10 per cent of their income on council tax – but it’s not in the areas you might think.
An analysis by campaign group, The TaxPayers’ Alliance, compared council tax rates with Office for National Statistics figures on local earnings and Land Registry house price data.
It found the council tax disparity meant some UK residents had been landed with a burden five times heavier than others.
West Devon faced the highest council tax to salary ratio, with the average Band D council tax of £2,347 more than 10 per cent of the median gross pay of £21,639, the analysis found.
Nottingham came in a close second, where the average council tax bill of £2,412 is 10.84 per cent of local average earnings of £22,243, followed by Pendle in Lancashire, and Torridge in northwest Devon.
The four lowest-charging councils were all in London, relative to both house prices and median pay.
On the other end of the scale, the council tax percentage in Wandsworth is around five times lower, at 2.16 per cent with a bill of £921.
This is despite the median annual pay for the south London borough being £42,665 – twice as high as West Devon residents.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Taxpayers are struggling with the unsustainable burden of council tax. But far from falling on those with the broadest shoulders, it appears that the most hard-pressed households are bearing the brunt of rising rates.
“The least local authorities can do is freeze council tax next year to give residents much-needed breathing space.”
