COUNCILLORS will decide next week who will pay more Council Tax.
The Government is scrapping the national Council Tax Benefit scheme and has told every local authority to introduce its own support scheme and cut funding for such schemes by 10%.
Kirklees will get £28,152,860 for its own Council Tax Support scheme – £23,487,833 for the council and the remaining to local parish councils (£71,733) and police and fire (£3,644,977) precepts.
Kirklees councillors have already been told the authority has £3.3m less to fund the support scheme and they now have to decide who will be affected and by how much.
Clr David Sheard, Deputy leader of Kirklees Council, saidL: “We have little choice but to impose the cut imposed by central government.
“We face some very difficult decisions.
“It’s important we consider both the long and short term effects of the different options and create a scheme that works best for Kirklees.”
Currently there are 42,729 households in Kirklees receiving financial support through the Council Tax Benefit scheme – 17,681 of pension age and 25,048 working age. Not all get 100% tax relief as its a means tested benefit, which will continue.
Under the new scheme, the most vulnerable people will be protected – pensioners currently receiving Council Tax Benefit are unaffected along with lone parents with children under the age of five.
So it means Kirklees must make-up the shortfall by reducing the financial support for 19,920 working-age households which, in turn, will increase household contributions of those who currently receive some Council Tax Benefit.
Cabinet members must consider three proposals on Tuesday and it will go before Full Council on Wednesday when the final decision will be made.
