Pathetic Shaw - pity you weren't carried far away enough.

You may have to resort to alcohol to see yourself through the day Shaw I do not. Human nature drives people to pay only what they absolutely have to and what was shown to be the case in your "socialist", incentive free, workers paradises was that people only do the bare minimum, everything else then comes from graft, corruption and a black economy that is so essential and becomes so powerful that nobody can dare to take any effective action against it.

A local authority is required to raise £500,000,000 from a community that consists of 100,000 properties and 361,000 wage earners. The properties if following national statistics will comprise 64% privately owned, 18% privately owned rented property, 11% Housing Association stock and 7% Council owned.

Average bill required to provide the services from the local authority is £5,000 per property per year (£96.15 per week). 18% of this is Government or Council in effect paying itself with all associated admin costs as they collect their council taxes as a portion of the rent.

If however you raise the required sum by imposition of a local income tax that works out at £1,385 per person per year (£26.64 per week). Deducted at source the machinery is already in place to do this at no additional expense and no expense to the council.

In addition you make that local income tax deductible from your national income tax as it is an expense essential for life. Every wage earner pays it and the impact on national tax revenue is marginal. Were you to do the same thing with your property based system the impact would be marked and a gift to the rich.