MSP: East Dunbartonshire council taxpayers pay £618 less than those in England

Strathkelvin and Bearsden SNP MSP Rona Mackay said that across Scotland, council taxpayers get the best deal in Britain.

She said the figures also demonstrate that the savings for Scottish council taxpayers in comparison to what those in England and Wales will pay is going to be even greater next year.

The research shows that Band D council taxpayers in East Dunbartonshire pay £1348, that’s £618 less than the equivalent in England and £429 less than Wales.

Council tax across Scotland is lower than in England – for 2022/23, the average Band D Council Tax bill in Scotland is £1,347 compared to £1,966 in England and £1,777 in Wales.

For 2022/23, the average charge for all property bands, including E, F, G and H, is between £413 and £651 lower than England.

The average council tax increase in Scotland for 2022/23 was 3.0%, compared with 3.5% in England and 2.7% in Wales.

Ms Mackay said: “Council taxpayers across East Dunbartonshire are paying £618 less than they would in England.

"In fact, across Scotland they get the best deal in Britain. On top of the £150 council tax rebate announced by our Finance Secretary, this shows the Scottish Government is doing all it can within its restricted powers and resources to keep as much cash as possible in families’ pockets.

“Tax bills are so substantially lower because the SNP has such a strong record of delivering the best value. For an entire decade the SNP Scottish Government froze the cost of council tax - despite Westminster continuing to slash the Scottish budget.

“The SNP Scottish Government is also rolling out a social security system based on fairness and respect. It has introduced the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment - which will deliver £25 per week per child for the lowest income families in East Dunbartonshire – and we are increasing a range of Scottish social security benefits by six per cent.

“It is a glaring contrast with the Westminster Tory Government which,

far from protecting hard-pressed families from the spiralling Tory cost of living crisis, it callously cut vital Universal Credit support by £20 a week for the poorest families.

"This is a real tale of two Governments and the people of Scotland will have the opportunity to send a message to Boris Johnson by rejecting the Tories in the local elections on May 5.”