Dundee Labour councillor Kevin Keenan has said the city should see more benefit from having some of the highest council tax bills in the country.
Scottish Government finance secretary Derek Mackay will publish his budget on Thursday and, for the first time in a decade, council tax bills are set to rise.
Mr Keenan, leader of the Labour group on Dundee City Council, said Band D council tax payers in Dundee have paid over £1,300 more than those in similar properties in neighbouring local authorities over the past decade, but have seen little benefit from the additional sums they pay.
There had been calls to raise council to offset the £23 million of savings Dundee City Council had to find this year but these were dismissed by the SNP administration, who said the penalty for not sticking to the council tax freeze would mean it needed to rise by nearly 40% to balance the books.
But with the council tax freeze now over, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already announced plans to raise the council tax for homes in the top four bands (E to H).
This will affect around one in seven homes in Dundee.
Mr Keenan said: “The SNP was elected on a promise to scrap the council tax – but it’s only tinkered and re-branded.
“The Government, over the period of the council tax freeze, has also said that the freeze was to help households who can least afford it… it now looks like they are beginning to acknowledge that the freeze has left councils in Scotland underfunded and, in particular, our education service.
“The decline in education is unforgivable but it is not the only service that is suffering due to lack of funds.”
Mr Keenan added: “Despite this, households in Dundee continue to pay the second highest council tax in Scotland – with a Band D £139 per year more than in our neighbouring authority.
“Each Band D household in Dundee has contributed £1390 more over the 10 years whilst waiting on that fairer system to be delivered by the SNP Government.
“I can only hope the Finance Secretary reflects on his party’s broken promises when he looks to deliver the settlement for Dundee in the forthcoming Budget statement.”
He added: “The Scottish Government again this year has received a cash increase from Westminster, albeit a small one.
“Let’s hope that the Finance Secretary passes the increase on and uses some of his newly devolved powers to turn around Dundee’s fortunes and delivers fairness and equality for Dundee.”
