Labour revaluation threat to Edinburgh North & Leith: only Lib Dems offer real alternative says Mike Crockart

12.37.56am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 13th Apr 2005

Liberal Democrats have consistently campaigned to "Axe the Tax"

Local Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesperson Mike Crockart has hit out at Labour plans to revalue homes in Scotland and introduce a new top band for council tax that were leaked to newspapers this weekend.

Mike said: "Labour have been forced to come clean: a vote for Tony Blair's party in this election is a vote for further pensioner poverty.

"Labour have been using Wales as a guinea pig for their revaluation plans so we can see what to expect in Scotland. In Cardiff alone, 2/3rds of homes have been put into a higher tax band and the increases have been so extreme that in some areas Labour have been forced to

allow homeowners to spread their payments over two years.

"Revaluation will hit areas such as Edinburgh the hardest where houses have massively increased in value over the past decade. Their owners - including many pensioners on fixed income - will see their tax bills go through the roof.

"Only the Liberal Democrats offer a real alternative - local income tax. Under this system most people will pay less, particularly pensioners. The Tories can only cheer Labour's plans on the sidelines - after all Michael Howard was one of the architects of the council tax when he was a cabinet minister."

Mike has also hit out at Labour's council tax discount to pensioners announced in the budget two weeks ago: "This is one of the most cynical attempts at bribing the electorate

ever undertaken by a government. This discount wasn't offered to pensioners last year when there wasn't a general election, and it won't be on offer next year either. By contrast, local income tax offers the average single pensioner savings of between £300 and £1400, year after year.

"The council tax system is coming apart at the seams and should be scrapped - one off discounts won't save it."