From the Bristol and South West TPA blog:
TaxPayers’ Alliance urges Bristol politicians to co-operate to cut taxes
“Best of the Budgets” would provide a 2.2% tax cut
The Taxpayers' Alliance (TPA) wishes to congratulate all the political parties currently represented on Bristol City Council for the efforts to identify potential areas where the burden of taxation can be lifted from local residents, and urges the different parties to pool their best ideas to produce a “Best of the Budgets”, which would deliver a 2.2% tax cut for Bristol taxpayers. The Bristol Branch of the TPA has studied the proposals of each party and calculated that if the ruling Labour executive was to take on the savings proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Greens as well, then £11 million could be saved from the Council’s spending.
A wide range of measures have been proposed, e.g. Green Party Councillor for Southville ward, Charlie Bolton, has identified in his amendment [No.6] the potential to reduce members' allowances by 2%, and apply no increase for inflation, creating a saving of £54,000. Were all the savings identified by the members of the Council enacted, with no other increases in Council budget beyond those for inflation, the Band D rate to support the Council's own spending would be £1244.35, a 2.2% reduction on last year's figure of £1,272.00.
This “Best of the Budgets” option is an opportunity for Bristol’s local politicians to work together to help local residents in the recession. The TPA urges them to join together at the Budget Meeting on 24th February 2009 to adopt these proposals.
James Barlow, Convener of the Bristol Branch of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:
“There are good proposals to save money from all the different political groups on the council. With everyone suffering in the recession, it's within the gift of the councillors to co-operate, pool their best money-saving ideas and use them to cut council tax. This plan could save £11 million, which could be left in the pockets of people in Bristol who need the money to help them survive these difficult times.”
For further comments, information or quotes, please contact:
James Barlow
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
1) The TaxPayers’ Alliance is Britain’s independent, grassroots campaign for lower taxes and better government. The Bristol Branch of the TPA was founded in December 2008 and is actively campaigning across the city.
2) The following Council documents form the source of the data in this article:
Budget 2008-09
Proposals and Budget Amendments 2009-10
To find the breakdown of the plans, please click here.