Socialists urge tax 'rebellion'

Tommy Sheridan said the council tax's days were numbered

The Scottish Socialist Party has predicted "the beginning of the end" for the council tax.

Hundreds of people attended a march and rally in Glasgow to protest against the tax in Scotland.

Party leader Tommy Sheridan said people were angry having to pay a tax which "hammers pensioners and ordinary workers".

The party has proposed that the council tax be replaced by an alternative service tax based solely upon income.

Addressing marchers on the Scrap The Tax campaign, Mr Sheridan said: "We are saying to Labour loud and clear, in the words of the song `watch your backs because we are going to bring down the council tax'.

Tax the wealthy more and the ordinary worker and pensioner less Tommy Sheridan SSP leader

"It is a tax which hammers the pensioners, the ordinary worker and pampers the rich and the wealthy.

"Well it is now time for the redistribution of wealth. That means we tax the wealthy more and the ordinary worker and pensioner less."

The SSP claims that 77% of homes would be better off under its Scottish service tax, with many low income households saving between £20 and £30 a week.

All those earning under £10,000 a year would be automatically exempt from the proposed tax.

The party claims the existing system "blatantly pampers" Scotland's rich and wealthy while "punishing" pensioners and low paid households.

It has pledged to "bury" the tax within 2004, with the Glasgow protest marking the start of its national campaign.

'Fairer system'

Green MSP Mark Ballard said his party strongly supported the campaign.

"Council tax is unfair and unjust. We want to introduce a system that will tax land values, unlike the council tax which is loosely based on outdated house prices," he said.

"A land value tax (LVT) will tax big landowners and encourage efficient land use, it will target those who have wealth in assets, not the poorest in society. It is an inherently fairer system."

Pensioner Elsie Black, 71, said he wanted to send a clear message to the UK Government on the issue.

He said: "It is appalling that a large chunk of what little income I have has to be spent on such an unfair tax."