Tax | LocalGov


Liverpool tourism tax gets the green light 28/04/2025 Hoteliers in Liverpool have backed plans to introduce a £2 overnight visitor charge.
Carbon tax could cost councils billions, LGA warns 25/04/2025 A scheme aimed at reducing carbon emissions from the burning of waste could place ‘billions of pounds’ of unavoidable costs on local authorities, LGA warns.
West Midlands expected to be worst hit by Trump tariffs 07/04/2025 The West Midlands is expected to be the region worst hit by President Donald Trump's 10% tariff on UK exports to the US, a charity has said.
Council chiefs defend six figure salaries 01/04/2025 Local authority leaders have defended local government salaries exceeding six figures, arguing it is important to attract the ‘right people’.
Parliament rally calls on Government to tackle social care crisis 25/02/2025 Campaigners are gathering at Parliament today to call on the Government to address the social care crisis.
Nursery fees set to jump 10% 11/02/2025 The rise in employers' national insurance will force most nurseries to increase their fees by 10%, a new survey has revealed.
HMRC does not know how much National Insurance it collects from councils 29/01/2025 HMRC has said it does not hold data on employers National Insurance Contribution (NIC) payments received from principal local authorities.
Tax hike threatens to add to nursing home costs 27/01/2025 The Government has been urged to reverse its NICs hike on care providers as figures reveal how much nursing costs for pensioners have increased in a decade.
High street businesses brace for business rates hike 21/01/2025 Thousands of high street businesses are set to see their rates bill more than double this year, financial experts warn.
Edinburgh tourism tax could be starting point for fiscal devolution, experts suggest 20/01/2025 The approach to a tourism tax being taken forward in Scottish and Welsh cities could be a starting point for fiscal devolution in England, experts suggest.
Scottish council chiefs call for help with NI hike 07/01/2025 Scottish council leaders have called on the Government to cover the costs the public and charity sectors are facing from the rise in national insurance.
Council urges Government to drop farm tax plans 27/11/2024 Cornwall Council has agreed to call on the Government to reconsider its changes to inheritance tax rules.
Petition calls for social care national insurance hike exemption 18/11/2024 Care England has called on its members to sign a petition calling for an exemption from the Government’s employer national insurance (NIC) tax rise.
Council chiefs call for sugar tax on milkshakes 05/11/2024 Local authority leaders have called for the soft drinks industry levy to be devolved to councils to tackle obesity and to be expanded to milk-based drinks.
Thousands of council-owned buildings spend time vacant 22/10/2024 New research by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) has found that thousands of buildings owned by local authorities spent time empty during 2022 and 2023.
Localis: Counterproductive ‘tax landscape’ threatens pubs 23/09/2024 A think tank has warned that a ‘counterproductive regulatory and tax landscape’ threatens the future of local pubs.
New waste tax could cost councils billions 17/09/2024 A proposed tax on the carbon emitted from burning waste could cost councils billions over the next decade, according to new analysis.
Think tank calls for health and prosperity improvement zones 17/09/2024 Local authorities should be empowered to create health and prosperity improvement zones modelled on clean air zones, a cross-party commission says.
‘Massive disparities’ in number of bins councils collect 20/08/2024 There are ‘massive disparities’ in the number of bins that UK councils ask residents to sort their rubbish into, a new survey has revealed.
King's Speech: OBR handed beefed-up scrutiny role 17/07/2024 The Government has put fiscal stability in the form of a Budget Responsibility Bill at the heart of the King's Speech.
Nottingham considers £2 accommodation levy 04/07/2024 Nottingham City Council members are set to consider plans to introduce a nightly £2 levy on accommodation providers.
First ‘tourist tax’ on hold 02/07/2024 The first so-called coastal tourist tax in the UK has been put on hold following opposition from Dorset hoteliers.
Poll reveals support for tax increases to boost public services 01/07/2024 More than half of UK households support investment in public services even if it means they are taxed more, according to new analysis.
Pubs ‘vanishing’ at alarming rate, study reveals 17/06/2024 The number of pubs forced to call last orders for the final time increased at an alarming rate during the first quarter of the year, study reveals.
Rayner accusation after police drop probe 29/05/2024 Shadow communities secretary Angela Rayner has hit out at the Conservatives’ ‘desperate tactics’ after police said they would take no further action following an investigation.
Scottish councils criticise ‘excessive’ tourism tax delay 28/05/2024 Local authority leaders across Scotland have called on Holyrood to accelerate plans to empower them to charge visitors for overnight stays.
Dorset to host UK’s first coastal ‘tourist tax’ 15/05/2024 The first coastal ‘tourist tax’ in the UK is set to be introduced in Dorset after hoteliers in the region voted for the plans.
Call to fix ‘incomplete patchwork’ of devolution deals 13/05/2024 The next government must extend devolution to 85% of England to address an ‘incomplete patchwork of mismatched deals’, a think-tank has argued.
Thanet DC drops tourism tax plan 29/04/2024 Thanet DC has decided to drop plans for a tourism tax because the Government has ‘no intention’ of giving the council the powers to implement one.
LGA lobbied over income tax devolution 24/04/2024 The Local Government Association’s (LGA) White Paper should make the case for councils to receive a share of income tax, sector experts have urged.
Next Government urged to look at devolving air passenger duty 10/04/2024 The leader of a Labour council in the shadow of Heathrow Airport has urged the next Government to look at devolving air passenger duty (APD).
Lib Dems pledge to scrap business rates 09/04/2024 The Liberal Democrats would deliver tax reforms to ‘revive struggling high streets’, leader Ed Davey will announce today.
Making England smoke-free could redirect £11bn to local economies 09/04/2024 A new study has found that if everyone in England stopped smoking, £10.9bn could be redirected to local economies each year.
Craig hails tourist tax 'success' 08/04/2024 The leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, has hailed the UK’s first city tourist tax a ‘success’ a year on from its introduction.
Tax haven crackdown announced by childcare body 08/04/2024 The membership body for children’s homes has announced a change in its membership criteria to combat the use of tax havens by childcare providers.
Think-tank's call for landfill tax devolution 04/04/2024 A think-tank has called for a portion of the proceeds from landfill tax to be devolved to councils.
Cambridge members discuss £2-a-night tourist tax 02/04/2024 Cambridge City Council members are considering plans that could see hotels in the city introduce a tourist tax.
Online sales tax not priority for London 20/03/2024 London Councils has decided it will not prioritise an online sales tax (OST) as part of its lobbying effort.
Tax cuts could drive 55,000 into poverty 05/03/2024 Tax cuts reportedly being considered by the Chancellor in tomorrow's Budget could result in tens of thousands of people being driven into poverty.
Keep carers in work to save £6bn, Government urged 19/02/2024 The UK economy will lose billions this year because of unpaid carers who are unable to work, a think-tank has warned.
London Councils to step back support for land value tax plans 23/11/2023 London Councils is expected to distance itself from backing the idea of a land value tax when its leaders meet next month.
Britain faces 'highest tax raising parliament in history', CCN told 21/11/2023 Britain currently has the ‘highest tax raising parliament in history’, a leading economist has pointed out.
Land value tax could redistribute billions 09/11/2023 A plan to reform business rates could lead to billions of pounds being redistributed from high land value areas to other parts of the country.
Call for local income tax collection for biggest city regions 08/11/2023 More taxation powers, including the ability to keep a proportion of income tax, should be devolved to England’s three biggest city regions, a think-tank has argued.
Tired of empty shops? It’s time to ban box shifting 29/09/2023 Sian Berry AM, Green London Assembly Member and Camden councillor, calls for an end to the use of the tax evasion technique known as ‘box shifting’.
Call for pubs minister 28/09/2023 The Government should offer pubs tax rebates and appoint a minister responsible for a long term-strategy for the sector, report by think-tank Localis argues.
‘Box shifting’ loophole costing councils £250m a year 26/09/2023 Councils in England could save £250m annually if a legal loophole that enables landlords to avoid business rates was closed, campaigners say.
How to fix local government finance 25/09/2023 Dr Greg Stride & Dr Andrew Walker, LGIU Local Democracy Research Centre, look at the lessons from other countries when it comes to local government finance.
Thriving tourism that supports local need 25/09/2023 Cllr Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, has set out three things needed for tourism to thrive in a way that meets the needs of residents.
Calls to scrap council tax hike as consultation closes 20/09/2023 Councils should have complete control over their local tax, thinktank Reform Scotland has said in response to plans to increase council tax across Scotland.
London council calls for power to impose overnight levy 20/09/2023 Westminster City Council has called on the Government to enable local authorities to tax tourists on stays.
Pubs 'vanishing' at alarming rate as closures jump 50% 18/09/2023 The number of pubs that have been demolished or converted into other types of use has risen dramatically, with over 380 ‘vanishing’ this year.
Bristol rules out workplace parking levy 10/08/2023 Bristol City Council has ruled out introducing a workplace parking levy because of the cost-of-living crisis.
Government heads off business rates review 21/07/2023 A bid to secure a review of business rates in the House of Lords has failed.
Preventing future Section 114 notices 13/06/2023 Joanne Pitt, Local Government Policy manager at CIPFA, reflects on Woking BC’s financial troubles and looks at the lessons for other councils.
Number of council staff earning over £100k down post-pandemic 19/04/2023 The number of council staff receiving more than £100,000 is nearly at 2,800, according to campaigners, which is down slightly from last year.
Labour pledges to revitalise high streets 12/04/2023 Labour will today promote its plan to revitalise ailing high streets through a £700m fund to help small businesses with soaring energy bills.
Tourism tax could raise councils nearly £430m, study says 03/04/2023 More than £428m a year could be raised by imposing a £1-a-night levy on visitors staying in hotels, according to the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP).
Sugar levy prevented 5,000 cases of obesity every year 27/01/2023 Council leaders have called on the Government to recommit to the sugar levy as a new study reveals it prevented more than 5,000 cases of obesity every year.
Councillors call for ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco 18/01/2023 Local councillors have urged the Government to introduce a ‘polluter pays’ levy on tobacco manufacturers and to replace the expired plan to control tobacco.
MPs urge HMRC to up game 10/01/2023 HMRC is failing to collect billions of pounds of tax it is owed each year that could have helped further fund local public services, MPs have warned.
Public EV network under pressure from electricity price rise 10/01/2023 RAC and FairCharge have called on the Government to slash the VAT rate at public electric vehicle chargers after new data shows increase in charger costs.
Manchester introduces post-COVID ‘toursim tax’ 12/12/2022 Visitors to Manchester will be required to pay a ‘tourism tax’ as part of a new initiative to support the city’s accommodation sector after Brexit and COVID.
Councils invited to host Investment Zones 03/10/2022 Local authorities are now able to apply to host a new Investment Zone, the Government announced over the weekend.
Mini-Budget: Kwarteng's plans to boost economic growth 23/09/2022 New Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled a mini-Budget aimed at boosting the economy and growing his way out of the country’s financial woes.
Mini-Budget: Chancellor drops social care levy 23/09/2022 Chancellor Kwarteng today confirmed that the National Insurance (NI) rise will be reversed and a planned levy to fund social care will be dropped.
Mini-Budget: Universal Credit sanctions tightened 23/09/2022 Tens of thousands of people on Universal Credit face sanctions and reductions if they do not show up at jobcentres, under plans unveiled by the chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng.
Westminster council wages war on ‘dirty money’ 21/09/2022 Westminster council will take steps today to tackle economic crime in order to combat the capital’s reputation as the European centre for money laundering.
Westminster council calls for ‘reform’ of business rates 26/08/2022 Westminster City Council has called for a ‘fundamental reform’ of business rates ahead of what the local authority warns will be a difficult winter.
Road-pricing system fairer than fuel tax 16/05/2022 Charging motorists a levy based on the miles they drive would be fairer than taxing fuel and could address the cost of living crisis, think tank says.
Red diesel ban ‘tangible threat’ to waste strategy 18/03/2022 The Chancellor has been warned that the red diesel ban is ‘counter intuitive’ and presents ‘a tangible threat’ to the Government’s waste strategy.
Council chiefs call for VAT cut on vaping products 09/03/2022 The Government should cut Value Added Tax (VAT) on the sale of vaping products to help people to stop smoking, local authority leaders say.
Trade unions call for £200 fuel loan to be a grant 07/03/2022 Trade unions have called on the Government to protect working families against further energy price rises as a result of the Ukraine crisis.
Councils concerned taxis ‘not aware’ of upcoming tax checks 06/01/2022 Council leaders are concerned that taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) operators are ‘not aware’ of forthcoming conditionality tax checks, research finds.
Tax ‘loophole’ costs councils £110m 09/08/2021 New research suggests business rates relief for holiday lets is currently worth £110m a year.
Council tax collection deficit hits £500m 27/05/2021 Councils will need ‘additional help from taxpayers’ to balance their books, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has warned.
Coronavirus leads to scrapping of three-year Spending Review 21/10/2020 Plans to create a three-year settlement for public spending have been abandoned as latest figures show the havoc coronavirus is wreaking on the public finances.
Think tank calls for sweeping reforms to local taxes 06/07/2020 A group of former Treasury special advisers have called for revaluation of the council tax and reform of business rates to boost the economy post-COVID-19.
Council celebrates ‘landmark’ ruling that will save museums thousands 18/06/2020 Exeter CC has welcomed a landmark ruling over the rateable valuation of a Grade II building in a court decision that could save museums thousands of pounds.
Majority of people support tax rises to solve social care crisis 06/12/2019 Two thirds of people want tax increases to pay for health and social care, a new poll has revealed.
Small businesses call for ‘radical’ business rates reform 21/10/2019 Representatives of small businesses have written to the chancellor calling on him to introduce business rates reform to help struggling firms.
High street retailers call for reform of ‘broken’ business rates 13/08/2019 Over 50 high street retailers have signed a letter calling on Chancellor Sajid Javid to reform the business rates system.
London boroughs eye £750 workplace parking charge 25/07/2019 Several London boroughs are considering introducing workplace parking levies (WPLs) of at least £750 a year to cut pollution and encourage active travel.
Council backs campaign for procurement reform 11/07/2019 Oxford City Council has become the first authority to back a fair tax campaign.
Councils spend £74m on empty properties in two years 03/06/2019 Local authorities have spent millions maintaining empty properties over the last couple of years, anti-tax campaigners have revealed.
Impact of tourism tax 27/03/2019 Rory Alexander explores what the introduction of tourism tax in the UK could mean for local councils.
It’s ‘business as usual’ at Mersey bridge, council defiantly insists 14/03/2019 Halton BC has said it is ‘business as usual’ at the Mersey Gateway despite a tribunal decision that the bridge’s crossing charge is 'not a tolling scheme’.
Scotland’s landfill ban will be £100m tax gift to England, waste experts say 27/02/2019 Waste management experts have ‘expressed deep concern’ that Scotland is not prepared for a landfill ban which will lead to higher haulage costs for councils.
Edinburgh council votes in favour of ‘tourist tax’ 08/02/2019 City of Edinburgh councillors have voted in favour for what could be the UK’s first ‘tourist tax’.
‘Tweaking’ wealth taxes could raise £7bn a year, think tank says 03/01/2019 Reforming Britain’s wealth taxes could help the Government raise £7bn a year by 2022-23 to help cover the cost of public services, a think tank has argued.
Council chiefs call for national taxation to save care services 14/11/2018 Whitehall must start making the case for increases in national taxation in order to fund struggling adult social care services, local authority chiefs say.
Tax increases ‘possible solution’ to social care crisis, council chiefs say 31/07/2018 Local government leaders have proposed a series of tax increases as ‘possible solutions’ to paying for adult social care over the long-term.
Tax-raising powers for mayors could help reduce health inequalities, report says 15/06/2018 A leading research group has called for cities to be given more powers to help improve public health.
Think tank calls for ‘skills levy’ on construction industry 01/12/2017 A leading think tank has called on the Government to introduce a levy in the construction industry to boost skills training as part of a plan for Brexit.
Tax increases on insurance exposing public sector to ‘higher risk’, insurer warns 21/11/2017 Increases in the tax on insurance policies is leaving public sector and voluntary organisations exposed to higher risk, a leading insurer has warned.
Councils defend spending on public health interventions 01/11/2017 Council chiefs have defended spending on tackling harmful lifestyle choices against ‘flawed’ study which accuses them of restricting individual freedom.
Wales to replace stamp duty with ‘progressive’ land tax 04/10/2017 Most first-time buyers in Wales will no longer pay tax on their new home under plans announced by the devolved Welsh government.
Council chiefs hit back at ‘stealth tax’ accusation 06/09/2017 Councils are imposing ‘stealth taxes’ on residents, think tank claims, but council chiefs argue they are bringing in less from fees than five years ago.
Landlords dodge nearly £200m of tax in London borough 14/08/2017 Up to 13,000 landlords in one east London borough have failed to declare their rental income to the Government, the local council has found.
Care home residents hit with 'top up' stealth tax 27/07/2017 A quarter of care home residents whose care is supposed to be free are being forced to pay top-up fees, according to Age UK.