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Poll: what’s the fairest form of taxation?

This poll is about 8 years old
 

Taxation is a fraught and contested subject - what do you think is the best way to raise cash to pay for services?

What form of taxation should we have?

We should keep the council tax as it is
8
We should have a reformed council tax, like that proposed by the Scottish Government
12
We should have a land value tax – similar to that proposed by the Scottish Greens
67
We should have a progressive income tax, based on the ability to pay, like the service tax proposed by RISE
69

It’s one of the biggest issues in Scottish politics – and it’s one that affects everyone.

Taxation is set to be at the heart of the battle for Holyrood on 5 May as the political parties set out their visions of how cash to pay for vital services should be raised.

Currently, we have the council tax, originally introduced as a stop-gap to replace the hated poll tax, which is based on property bandings.

Before 2007, the rate of council tax was set by local authorities, but it has been frozen by successive SNP governments since then.

This has led to complaints that councils are not able to raise enough cash to pay for vital services – and claims that this has led to cuts.

Other forms of taxation have been mooted. Last December, the Commission on Local Tax Reform recommended that the council tax be abolished and replaced with either a property tax based on both buildings and land, a land value tax or a local income tax.

Prior to 2007, the SNP had been supporters of an income tax, but the Nationalist-led Scottish Government has now announced that rather than abolishing the council tax, it will be reformed, with changes to banding so that those in more expensive properties pay more.

Critics have said this is a fudge and nowhere near radical enough – meanwhile the council tax freeze continues, pitching Scottish and local governments into a war of attrition with each other over funding arrangements.

You’ll hear a lot more about tax as the election campaign heats up. But which system do you prefer, based on the four options below?

Vote and have your say.

Options
Voting in this poll has now closed
 

Comments

0 0
Ricardo
about 8 years ago
Land Value Tax. Fair, easy to collect and efficient. All LVT does is reclaim some of the value society itself creates.
0 0
Dani
about 8 years ago
Why are there limited options on this poll? Surely media should have options from every party represented? This poll implies that these are the only tax proposals on offer.
Commenting is now closed on this post