SHERIDAN COUNTERS NEW LABOUR SPIN ON COUNCIL TAX


Scottish Socialist MSP Tommy Sheridan today condemned New Labour’s spin doctors who were attempting to blame him for people not paying their council tax. New Labour claimed that Tommy, through his campaign for non-payment of the poll tax had encouraged a culture of non-payment which had spread to the council tax.

Tommy Sheridan said,
“This is nonsense and a typical New Labour smear. Of course I led the anti-Poll Tax Campaign while Labour councils actively implemented it and sent people to prison for non-payment. The council tax although better than the poll tax is still a very unfair system. Indeed, it is much more unfair than the old rates system. The real reason why people don’t pay their council tax is they can’t afford to, as it is a disproportionately heavy burden on poor people.

The Scottish Socialist Party has developed in the Scottish Service Tax a fair redistributive mechanism, which would put the burden of paying for local services on people who can afford to pay for it and would be much cheaper and easier to collect.

We shall be presenting this alternative at the election. However, we don’t rule out in the future a campaign of mass non-payment of the council tax. Then the Labour spin doctors might have a point, but for now they are merely trying to cover up their own failures.”

For more information, contact Tommy Sheridan on 07887 795075 or Hugh Kerr on 0131 348 5631/07713 063647