West End Letters: Council Tax

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West End Extra - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Published: 12 December 2008

Prudence and tax

• A MONTH ago council leader Colin Barrow recommended Westminster should not increase the council tax for 2009-10.
Westminster’s huge reserves are the result of years of prudent governance. We don’t waste money and we save when we can. In other words: what you and I do in our own household.
The decision as to what to do about the council tax will be taken within the next months. It will not be an easy one as there is a lot of uncertainty. Our revenue will go down and our costs, for example to social spending, will rise.
It is still uncertain how much money we will have lost in Icelandic banks. In the discussion about the banks Labour is, as usual, completely missing the point. It is unfair to blame councillors or officers for the loss, as the credit ratings were fine at the time the money was invested. But it teaches us something rather more fundamental. It is not a good idea for governments to hoard taxpayers’ money. It is likely to bear a lower return than one would get in the private sector. And it becomes too attractive to... just spend it.
Labour would just spend the surplus.
They want to do a mini-Brown and pump money into the local economy. In fact some of the spenders suggested that Westminster should run a deficit to pay for extra “investment”.
It never occurs to the spenders that money does not grow on trees. It is you, and private businesses, who pay for the increased spending.
A penny spent by government to help the economy is a penny you cannot spend to help the economy.
Let Westminster give some of its reserves back to you by way of a council tax cut. So you, and not government, can decide what to spend it on or invest it in.
Mrs S in Star Street may use it to buy an extra pair of shoes for her son. Pensioner L in Sussex Gardens may be able to leave his heating on in the morning.
You may wish to give to Shelter to help the homeless. Or you may want to invest it in your business.
A council tax cut will make the economy grow – but on the basis of your priorities, not those of politicians.
CLLR JEAN-PAUL FLORU
Conservative, Hyde Park ward

Send your letters to: The Letters Editor, West End Extra, 40 Camden Road, London, NW1 9DR or email to letters@westendextra.co.uk. The deadline for letters is midday Wednesday. The editor regrets that anonymous letters cannot be published, although names and addresses can be withheld.
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Letters may be edited for reasons of space.

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