Council tax: 'City is failing in one of its promary tasks'

Published on Saturday 13 June 2009 11:20

BEING charged with the collection of any form of tax is an unenviable task. There will always be people who will attempt to avoid paying, whether it be income tax, VAT or council tax – and some will go to great lengths to do so. But that is not an excuse for failing, or letting people away with it.

So while it is possible to have some sympathy with the city council over their failure to collect 15 million in unpaid tax over the past year it has to be seen to a degree to be failing in one of its primary tasks.

Aall this is happening at a time when the Capital's finances are in a appalling state and the council city is facing a black-hole of more than 92 million over four years.

As a result, a whole raft of cost saving measures will be introduced which will impact not only on frontline services but will adversely affect the quality of delivery the council can afford. That is grossly unfair on those who pay their taxes and are entitled to something in return.

It is difficult for the council to plead poverty when part of the solution to its financial problems lies in its own hands.

While the council might point to an improved collection rate of close to 93 per cent, it still lags behind the national average and last year it recorded the second worst performance of all Scotland's local authorities, who jointly failed to collect 112 million.

On that dismal record alone we should all breathe a collective sigh of relief that plans to introduce a local income tax that would have been collected by local authorities were abandoned.

It is unrealistic given the transient nature of some people to expect the city council to recoup anything like the 117 million it has failed to collect since the council was formed 12 years ago. But it owes the tens of thousands of honest people who duly pay what is asked of them to make a greater effort to recoup us much as it can.

Doubtless there will be many who are genuinely having trouble paying, especially in the current recession.

But most will not be in that position – and as a matter of some urgency the council should identify and chase with much more vigour those who can afford to pay but simply choose not to do so.