Councils owed £1bn in uncollected taxes
Birmingham and Westminster the worst councils at collecting unpaid business and council tax
Uncollected council and business taxes have reached critical levels with more
than £1bn being owed in the last financial year.
Research by one of the UK’s largest unions, GMB Union, revealed more than
£600m was owed in council taxes and £400m in business rates across England
24dash.com
reported.
Birmingham was highlighted as the worst in collecting tax on a council
league table, with their uncollected figure topping £25m followed closely by
Westminster with £23m.
Some of the worst collecting councils were Conservative which, according to
GMB leader Paul Kenny, “nails the lie ” of the Tory party’s promise to run the
country like town halls.
“If this is so, it will mean pay cuts for workers, job losses, uncollected
taxes, worse services and bankruptcies. Running the country? A second-hand whelk
stall looks beyond the Tories’ capabilities,” he added.
The statement was argued by shadow local government minister Bob Neil who
said Labour councils were the worst at collecting taxes and that the GMB Union
figures were not accurate.
The government has said that local authorities have collected £20.9bn out of
a total of £21.9bn.
Further reading:
Michael Page faces £40m tax hit