Scots are getting the “best deal in Britain” when it comes to council tax payments, the SNP has claimed, resulting in households paying hundreds of pounds less than they would south of the border.
MSP Kenneth Gibson highlighted the figures ahead of local government elections, which are taking place on May 5.
Charges for a band D home in Scotland amount to £1,347 on average for 2022-23, less than the average of £1,966 in England and the £1,777 average band D bill in Wales.
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For this current year, bills for properties in bands E to H are also between £413 and £651 lower in Scotland than they are in England, the SNP added.
On average, council tax bills are up by 3% in Scotland from 2021-22, less than the 3.5% average increase in England, but slightly more than the rise of 2.7% seen in Wales.
Mr Gibson said: “Scottish council tax payers are getting the best deal in Britain, paying almost £600 less than they would in England.”
With Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes having announced a £150 rebate for almost three quarters of homes to help with the cost-of-living crisis, the MSP said this “demonstrates that the Scottish Government is doing all it can within its restricted powers and resources to keep as much money as possible in the pockets of Scottish families”.
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Mr Gibson said: “Council tax bills in Scotland are so substantially lower because the SNP has such a strong record of delivering the best value.
“For an entire decade the SNP Scottish Government froze the cost of council tax – despite Westminster continuing to slash the Scottish budget.
“The SNP Scottish Government is also rolling out a social security system based on fairness and respect. It has introduced the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment – which will deliver £25 per week per child for the lowest income families – and we are increasing a range of Scottish social security benefits by 6%.”
This, he added, was in “glaring contrast with the Westminster Tory Government which, far from protecting hard-pressed families from the spiralling Tory cost-of-living crisis, callously cut vital universal credit support by £20 a week for the poorest families”.
Mr Gibson said: “This is a real tale of two governments and the people of Scotland will have the opportunity to send a message to Boris Johnson by rejecting the Tories in the local elections on May 5.”
