Pickles: A matter of fairness
Eric Pickles, the communities secretary, tells the Today programme there will be no re-valuation of council tax bands in England before 2015:
“This is essentially about fairness. Why should we penalise people with a tax increase, when the relationship between top and bottom bands is roughly the same as when council tax was introduced.
“We are taking power away from the centre and giving it to local people.
“I’ve always argued against a revaluation because we know from what happened in Wales that it tends to hit poorer families.
“Given that the bands are roughly in the same position as when council tax was first introduced then it seems to me to be a matter of fairness that we don’t impose an additional level of taxation, £1,600 during this Parliament, on ordinary families.”
