This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Council tax figures for 2006-07
09/02/2006
The majority of the Scotland's local authorities have now confirmed their council tax levels for 2006-07 will be in line with - or less than - their indicative figures announced last year.
Six councils - including Edinburgh and Glasgow - have so far announced rises at or below 2.5 per cent.
Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform Tom McCabe said:
"There is no such thing as a popular tax - and tax rises are never popular. It is important to recognise, however, that the average increase is far less than the alarming predictions and scaremongering.
"I am particularly pleased our two biggest cities have announced rises of less than 2.5 per cent. The people of Scotland will share my view - if some can do it, others should try harder to do it.
"Most local authorities have now confirmed their council tax levels are in line with - or less than - their indicative figures. As a result, the average increase for Scotland is now likely to around three per cent and, on the basis of what we already know, some 636,000 households in Scotland will see their council tax bills rise by 2.5 per cent or less.
"Ultimately, however, the setting of council tax levels is a matter for councils and councils alone and it is for them to justify any increases to local taxpayers.
"Councils have enjoyed unprecedented rises in funding since Devolution. There has been a massive increase of almost 50 per cent in grant to local government since 1999 - councils will have in total around £17 billion in total to spend on services next year.
"That increased investment is underpinned by three-year budgets to allow councils the freedom and flexibility they need to plan ahead and. That is a clear commitment to local government - and our determination to deliver the kind of public services people expect and deserve.
"Against that backdrop, we should not be bickering about funding - we should be getting on with the job people pay us to do. And that is exactly what the Executive is committed to doing.
"Local government is a vital part of our democratic system, responsible for delivering so many of the key services on which we all depend. That is not going to change and I encourage local government to join us in having a mature debate about the best way to deliver the kind of public service people expect and deserve.
"That is why we will shortly launch a genuine bottom-up dialogue with the whole public sector with a view to ensuring the most efficient and effective delivery of public services in Scotland."
These figures reflect the latest position and are based on 28 councils.