WARNING: COUNCIL TAX REVALUATION "BIGGEST STEALTH TAX RISE EVER" FOR TOTNES CONSTITUENCY

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 5th Feb 2005

The Government's forthcoming revaluation of Council Tax will mean bigger bills for many Totnes residents if Labour or the Conservatives were to win the General Election Parliamentary spokesman Mike Treleaven warned today.

The revaluation of council tax bands for all homes in England and Scotland is planned to start in 2005 with revised bills being issued to residents in 2007. All properties were originally valued in 1991. Wales has already re-valued properties and revised bills are being issued this year.

Evidence from the revaluation process in Wales shows 33% of properties moving up Council Tax bands and only 8% going down. In Cardiff 64% moved up and only 2% down. Research by Cardiff Council demonstrates that some of the poorest areas in Wales were hardest hit because many houses in these areas have had above average rises in their house values since 1991.

"Totnes residents have already been hit by council tax. Now council tax revaluation is set to hit them after the election. Council tax was unfair when Michael Howard's Conservatives brought it in. Labour's council tax revaluation will make it worse. It's time to scrap the unfair Council Tax." explained Mike Treleaven.