Scottish Council Tax Hikes Squeeze Residents Amid Cost of Living Crisis

Scottish councils plan to raise taxes after years of under-funding. Some people think taxes are already too high, but the SNP says councils got a fair deal and are happier now. A rise in national insurance was expected to hurt, but John Swinney says extra money helps. Council tax may not rise as much as some feared, with some anticipating increases of ten percent or more.

Glasgow plans a five percent increase, while Edinburgh may raise taxes by eight percent. Years of cuts have hurt local services there. East Lothian might raise taxes over ten percent and will make a final decision next week. North Lanarkshire needs to fill a £14 million gap.

Many people feel squeezed financially. Christopher Richard Duffy commented on Facebook, saying that many won’t be able to pay bills soon. Everything is going up in price so fast, while wages aren’t growing to match the rate of inflation.

Alison Craig asks what the tax money pays for, noting that she sees poor services everywhere. Rippedoffinuk is upset about East Lothian’s proposal regarding the tax increase. They get bin collections less often and brown bins cost extra to empty. They think the council has too many staff, and suggest that a review of spending may be helpful.

Greenend52 blames past tax freezes, noting that the Scottish Government froze council tax for years. Councils then cut staff to make up money. Councils rely on taxes for many things, including services like road work and care homes.

Donaldcw54 says this is payback for earlier freezes, noting that the government reduced council funding to pay for free services. He thinks people voted for this situation and that complaints are not valid.