Rummage around in the “too difficult to touch box” of policy issues and somewhere near the bottom you’ll find a slip marked “council tax reform”. But as that tax is increasingly becoming as unfair as the poll tax it replaced, politicians need to be bold and reform this failing tax. Here’s why.
The poll tax was a political disaster which is widely credited with precipitating the downfall of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. In response to the failed poll tax, the current council tax system was introduced in 1993 as a pragmatic fudge. Now politicians fear touching the issue again.
But council tax increasingly resembles the unpopular poll tax which it replaced. A new report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) out yesterday highlights how this system of taxation is failing.
It is increasingly a regressive tax, with those living in the lowest-value homes paying a higher proportion of council tax with regard to property value, than those living in the highest value homes. A household in a Band A property in London would on average pay nearly five times what a Band H household would pay as a proportion of property value.
The council tax system also takes too little account of people’s ability to pay and punishes the poorest. The devolution of council tax benefit in 2013, together with the cut in the funding provided for it, means that people on the very lowest incomes are paying council tax for the first time since the poll tax – and bills are rising.
IPPR research found that the burden of council tax on London’s poorest households is more than six times greater than those on the highest incomes – and that was before the latest round of increases. At the same time, the number of those in arrears and facing prosecution has also dramatically risen.
Furthermore, the current system is an increasingly unsustainable source of local government finance, not least due to its regressive features, discounts and exemptions. Meanwhile, upward pressures on local government spending are rising.
Council tax, like the poll tax before it, is punishing those on the lowest incomes, and it’s time for an overhaul. There is public appetite for fundamental reform and politicians should no longer ignore the issue. Council tax needs to be reformed to create a more progressive, fair and sustainable system.
In our report focused on the system in London, we propose that the first step should be to devolve council tax to London’s government, as also proposed by the London Finance Commission. London’s unique housing market and strong sub-national governance make it well suited to a pilot devolution deal which could later be rolled out across the country. A reformed system needs a sub-national approach, rather than the current overly centralised one.
Second, action should be taken urgently to protect those on low incomes. A capital-wide council tax benefit system is needed to support London’s most vulnerable households. This will ensure no minimum payment is required of those on the lowest incomes and restore eligibility for support to at least their pre-2013 levels.
Third, in the long-term council tax should be replaced with an annual flat-rate tax proportional to present day property values. This should be levied on owners rather than occupants. A rate of 0.25 per cent would raise the same funds for London as the current system, but 80 per cent of households would benefit from paying lower tax.
Any reforms should also be accompanied by an improvement in public services to ensure the reform commands political and public support.
Reform of council tax will not be easy: there’s a reason why it has remained unreformed in England for nearly three decades. But it’s time that politicians abolished this failing tax, just like the poll tax before it.
Luke Murphy is associate director for energy, climate, housing and infrastructure at the Institute for Public Policy Research.
