Environmental concerns have been raised over the sub-standard use of wood burning stoves.
Council tax system in Scotland 'grossly unfair' as Green MSP calls for replacement
30.01.2023 - 08:03 / dailyrecord.co.uk
A replacement for the "grossly unfair" council tax system should be agreed upon before the next Holyrood election in 2026, a Green MSP has insisted.
Ross Greer said he hoped cross-party consensus would finally be reached on how to reform local taxation after the issue was ducked by successive governments.
The SNP pledged to scrap council tax in its 2007 election manifesto but failed to bring forward plans for a replacement.
Nicola Sturgeon has previously said she thought the current system was not "fair or progressive".
Previous cross-party talks on the issue were shelved following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
But Greer told the Record he was optimistic a replacement could still be agreed upon in the coming years.
"We know the current council tax system is grossly unfair," he said. "You have folk whose house may be worth 15 times that of someone down the road - but they're only paying three times as much council tax.
"The system we use for council tax is based on property valuations from before I was born.
"What we want to see is a new form of taxation that taxes people fairly. I think most Scots want to see the richest pay their fair share and they've not been doing that up until now.
"And we can't tax them fairly if we just focus on income."
Council tax reform was one of the issues included in the Bute House agreement signed by the SNP and Greens following the 2021 election.
Greer said ordinary Scots would be invited to take part in the process via a Citizens' Assembly, which would bring together a representative group of voters.
"There is an agreement to take forward a process to reform and replace council tax and local taxation more generally," he added.
"The intention is to do that through a Citizens' Assembly. It
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