Tax rises

WHEN you find out how much council tax you’re paying next year, you know exactly what you bought in the last 12 months.
That’s the focus of new Welsh Conservative proposals launched this week. We want councils across Wales to improve the way they engage with taxpayers and make every effort to ensure we all know how our money’s being spent. Unlike the UK Government, the Welsh Labour government has not provided financial opportunity to freeze council tax in Wales and,
This year, bills in Wales have rocketed by as much as the maximum five per cent.
Yet, in a survey conducted by Welsh Conservatives, just a third of respondents (33 per cent) said they were confident about how their council tax was being spent. That’s something that has to be addressed and, Under Welsh Conservatives, every council in Wales would be required to send a clear breakdown of their spending with your council tax bill.
Best practice must be shared by those already making headway in this area and a similar breakdown should also be provided for monies collected from fixed penalty notices.
Last week, We unveiled figures in this newspaper showing Welsh councils made £15million from parking fines alone in the last few years.
I want to see a 10 minute grace period for drivers, as has been introduced in England and, crucially, easily accessible clarity on exactly where that cash is going. It’s a simple argument – boosted transparency and improved engagement with all of us; whether that’s more public meetings or more frankness about where our money’s going. Not only would Welsh Conservatives freeze council tax, we’d ensure you kept track of it. too.