Liberal Democrat 'Axe the Tax' campaign gathers momentum at Kingsbridge Show

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 4th Sep 2003

Visitors to Kingsbridge Show on Saturday September 6th. will have the opportunity to express their

anger at the present Council Tax by signing a petition supporting Liberal Democrat moves to replace this unfair tax by local income tax.

Commenting on the move, Totnes Constituency Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, Mike Treleaven, said:

'The Council Tax is one of the most unfair taxes that we have as it is not based on the ability to pay. I am constantly hearing stories of people who pay little or no income tax but are face with Council Tax bills of £1000 - £1500. This hits low wage earners and pensioners in particular and we have plenty of people in this area who fall into these categories. Liberal Democrats would replace this tax with a Local Income Tax based on the ability to pay, which will be a much fairer system. By signing this petition people can demonstrate their anger at this tax which has risen by over 50% since Labour came to power, and which is set to rise even more in the years to come.'

He continued:

'Coming to Kingsbridge Show is a great day out and I recommend it to everyone as an excellent showcase for our hardworking and often undervalued agricultural community. Pay a visit to the Liberal Democrat stand in aisle E and not only can you sign our petition, you can enter our competition to guess the first registration date of a classic Bentley and win a bottle of Champagne.'