Alliance Cllr calls for end to "double taxation"

12.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Fri 26th May 2006

Antrim Alliance Councillor Alan Lawther

Antrim Alliance Councillor Alan Lawther has slammed the use of Northern Ireland as a guinea pig for a new rating valuation system - and called instead for an end to the "double taxation" of rates on top of income tax.

Cllr Lawther explained: "The Government is using us in Northern Ireland as a test case for new valuations, claiming this is a radical new idea. What would be really radical would be the removal of unfair double taxation.

"People pay income tax on the money they earn, and then out of the remaining money effectively have to pay a property tax. Local departments are therefore taking taxes out of money from which the Treasury has already taken tax! This is ridiculous!

"Instead, people should know that they will be taxed once on their wealth, and once only. This would simplify things for people working out their own household budgets, and would remove the need for so much of our taxes to be spent on collecting taxes!

"Double taxation does not provide value for anyone, not even Government itself. It is time we reformed the whole rates system so that people pay a fair tax, and pay it once."

ENDS