I WAS more than slightly perturbed to read about the Green party’s policy document in regards to council tax. I am none too happy with the thought that they can use this to blackmail the SNP into acquiescence at the next Budget. It seems ill-thought-through and not very socialist.
My daughter and her fiancee have recently bought a house that pushes their budget to the limit. The council tax is bearable. They are in a reasonable area because of schools, parks etc and it is a forever home. If the Greens had their way and the council tax was based on the value of the house, which will be higher now they have renovated it, they would really struggle.
My husband and I bought our current home 14 years ago. We have done a lot of work to it so it might well be worth more now. I am retired on a small pension, no state pension as yet (WASPI), and my husband is a self-employed artist. If we had to pay according to our house value it would hit us hard.
There are so many scenarios like this across the country. Something like this needs to be income-based, surely, to be fair.
I was also slightly puzzled with what it had to do with Green politics, especially since some of the changes we have made to our house have made it greener hence inevitably more valuable.
Valentine Scarlett
Dundee
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