Parmjit Singh Gill MP Slams Council Tax Benefit For Being Too Complicated

12.00.00am GMT Tue 13th Jan 2004

Commenting on the Government's Council Tax Benefit advertising campaign, Parmjit Singh Gill MP, Member of Parliament for Leicester South, said:

"Pensioners are missing out on £750 million worth of Council Tax benefit. Another £250 million is not taken up by other qualifying claimants.

"I welcome efforts to improve uptake, but after ten years of Council Tax it's pretty clear the benefit system is too complicated to work.

"The way to make local tax fairer is to abolish Council Tax and replace it with a local income tax based on the ability to pay.

"Local Income Tax has fairness built in - so there wouldn't be a need for a benefit system, let alone an expensive advertising campaign."

ENDS

Notes to Editors

* Pensioners missing out on £750 million of benefits.

<http://www.dss.gov.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/2005/jan/ctb-campaign.asp>