October 24, 2011 2.09 pm This story is over 149 months old

Lincoln MP slams council tax hike report

Taxing policies: Karl McCartney is concerned over a report outlining policies to hike the price of tax for certain households.

Conservative Lincoln MP Karl McCartney spoke of his concerns after the Labour Party backed a report calling for tax hikes on certain households.

The report [PDF] published by the Intergenerational Foundation proposes a number of policies to tackle issues in the housing market.

However, these policies include bringing in a property value tax and removing council tax discounts for single occupancy homes.

In Lincoln, 33% of people would be affected by this tax rise, including single elderly pensioners, single parents and adults who live on their own, McCartney says.

A tax rise could mean single pensioners and adults with three or more spare bedrooms would be taxed out of their homes into smaller properties.

According to the report, if these people downsize, it makes space for younger generations and families to use.

Karl McCartney believes that these policies are unfair, and people should not be “bullied” out of homes.

He said: “People in Lincoln and around the country should not be taxed or bullied out of homes that they have worked hard to pay for.

“The Government has recently announced a repeat of the council tax freeze which last year saved residents in Lincoln an average of up to £74.

“Our FirstBuy scheme is helping first-time buyers get on the housing ladder, and our National Home Swap initiative will allow social tenants to move home without losing their security of tenure.”

Source: Karl McCartney