Labour in Oxford plan 5% council tax increase

12.31.00pm GMT Tue 18th Nov 2008

Cllr Stephen Brown in Oxford's Covered Market

While local people and local businesses are feeling the pinch, Oxford's Labour administration have decided it's time to hit them with higher taxes and with higher charges.

In the first hit, as hard working people struggle with their bills, Labour want to raise Council Tax by a full 5% next year and every year after. In the second hit, as retail suffers from the downturn, they want to increase car-parking charges by 15%. Labour seem not to realise that a Council should be helping local people and local businesses out of recession, not kicking them while they are down.

Said Lib Dem Group deputy leader Cllr Stephen Brown: "Everyone knows that Oxford's Council Tax is one of the highest in the country. And everyone knows that that tax is regressive and unfair and hits the most vulnerable in our society the most. The sooner this unfair tax is replaced with a system related to people's ability to pay, the better for us all."

Added Cllr Brown: "If we can't axe the tax, let's do what we can to help people and businesses in these hard times, rather than adding to the troubles. Labour in Oxford needs to wake up to what's happening around them."