Britain’s council tax is arbitrary, regressive and needs fixing
Based on estimated house values 33 years ago, it is not fit for purpose
THE FINANCING of local authorities in Britain can stir passions and topple leaders. In 1989 Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government introduced the “poll tax”, an average annual charge of £392 (£934 or $1,190 in today’s money) on every voter. It was very unpopular, leading to violent clashes with protesters in London, and contributing to the ousting of the prime minister eight months later.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Fixing a hole”
Britain January 27th 2024
- Britain wants to make nuclear power plants cheaper to build
- How to transport a rhino
- Football attracts Saudi investment to England’s north-east
- The ethical quagmire of a fetus-harming epilepsy drug
- Britain’s least valuable coin is in terminal decline
- Britain’s council tax is arbitrary, regressive and needs fixing
- Britain’s Labour Party is backed by a pro-growth coalition
From the January 27th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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British MPs vote in favour of assisted dying
A monumental social reform is closer to being realised
The slow death of a Labour buzzword
And what that says about Britain’s place in the world
Britain’s Supreme Court considers what a woman is
At last. Britons had been wondering what those 34m people who are not men might be
Can potholes fuel populism?
A new paper looks at one explanation for the rise of Reform UK
Are British voters as clueless as Labour’s intelligentsia thinks?
How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party