Tories seek to exploit rifts over council tax successor

Published on Sunday 16 August 2009 22:08

TORIES hope to expose potential splits within Labour over plans to replace the council tax with a new levy branded the "DIY tax".

A letter has been sent to all Scottish Labour MPs and Westminster candidates asking if they support a proposal to create a new local tax more closely based on property values.

The proposal has come from Holyrood's Labour group as its contribution to the debate over what should replace the tax.

Currently the Conservatives appear to be the only party that wants to keep the council tax. Labour and the Greens want a fairer property-based tax and the SNP and Liberal Democrats want a local income tax.

The Tories have claimed that Labour's proposal would penalise people who improved their homes.

They also want the views of leading Scottish MPs such as Chancellor Alistair Darling because of previous opposition from Westminster over scrapping the council tax.

Conservative Edinburgh South-West candidate Jason Rust, who will be taking on Mr Darling in the next election, said: "Labour's tax plans would hammer hard work and penalise anyone who improves their property."