§ 31. Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment has been made of the benefits of increasing the number of council tax band rates.[157212]
§ Ms ArmstrongWe believe that the council tax is working well as a local tax. In our Green Paper on modernising local government finance, which we published in September 2000, we explained that the banding system makes tax bills predictable and stable. A number of respondents to the Green Paper proposed that additional council tax bands should be created. We are considering what they had to say in the context of preparing a White Paper on local government finance, which we intend to publish later this year.
§ 37. Mr. BradyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement about the change in band D council tax in the last year. [157218]
§ Ms Beverley HughesThe average increase in band D council tax in England between 2000–01 and 2001–02 was 6.4 per cent.