Council tax will not rise under Labour and the leader of Fife Council should stop “banging on” about the prospect, according to an MP.
Representative for Dunfermline and West Fife Thomas Docherty has attacked authority leader David Ross over the possibility of ending the current freeze as an internal war broke out over the issue.
However, Mr Ross hit back by claiming his party colleague at Westminster did not properly understand the budget restrictions.
Mr Docherty said: “Enough is enough. David Ross has to accept council tax is not going to be raised under a Labour executive. David Ross keeps banging on in Fife Council about raising council tax.
“Jim Murphy has made it absolutely clear this is not something Labour will even be considering.
“Of course the way local government has been underfunded needs to be addressed, but raising taxes on those who are struggling to pay their bills is not the solution and Councillor Ross needs to understand that.”
A commission to examine a council tax replacement, which Cowdenbeath Labour MSP Alex Rowley is sitting on, has been set up and sources close to Mr Murphy confirmed he is opposed to raising rates.
Mr Ross told Fife Council’s budget meeting earlier this month he had “serious discussions” about the possibility of defying the Scottish Government freeze and raising council tax this year.
However, the Labour administration has decided not to because the impact on many “hard-pressed” families would be severe and the possible Scottish Government penalties could not be justified.
Council tax has not increased since 2007, with local authorities receiving additional funding from the Scottish Government by agreeing to the freeze.
When asked about Mr Docherty’s comments, Mr Ross said: “I have never said we will raise the council tax. This year the council budget is not raising the council tax.
“I think Thomas Docherty has got the wrong end of the stick. I’ve spoken to him on the phone and we will be meeting quite soon so I can go through the detail of the council budget with him so he better understands the challenges facing us.
“We both agree this has been caused by the underfunding of local government services by the SNP government and this is something we will both be challenging.”