A petition calling for Council Tax to be abolished for individuals claiming State Pension has been rejected. More than 20,000 people signed the online petition but the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities said paying tax is 'a necessary part of society'.
The call for change was made as some older people spend roughly 30 percent of their State Pension on Council Tax, Daily Record reports. The official response said: “The paying of tax is a necessary part of society - one that ensures that the state can support the most vulnerable, educate our children, support our health service, and look after those who have worked for a lifetime. Our aspiration as a Government is to keep tax as low as possible - but we do acknowledge its necessity.”
It continued: “Pensions acknowledge the important contribution that older people have made to our country for many decades. At the same time, pensioners still use many of the services provided by local authorities - from bin collection, to highways, to, in some circumstances, adult social care. We believe it reasonable that those who can pay do so for these services, as part of the social contract that binds our society together.”
