'Council tax can be frozen'
COUNCILS are getting enough Scottish Government cash to be able to freeze the council tax next year, John Swinney claimed yesterday.
The finance secretary told the Holyrood local government committee he believed councils should continue to freeze the tax and they might also benefit financially from falling inflation.
Some councils claim higher fuel costs, rising unemployment and an unresolved pay dispute with staff have placed added burdens on councils, which will make it impossible for them not to raise council tax without extra money.
Councils had been allocated 70 million for last year's council tax freeze and Mr Swinney said the same figure would be made available for next year.
He added:
"We have to have an eye on financial pressures households will be experiencing."
Asked by Labour MSP Mary Mulligan if he thought it was the right time to be asking councils to freeze the tax, Mr Swinney said: "Yes, I do."
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Friday 17 February 2012
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