Lambeth, the taxdodgers paradise

Councillor Daniel Sabbagh

Government figures released this week show that council tax collection in Lambeth is almost the worst in the country. In a league table of the UK’s local authorities, Lambeth’s Liberal Democrat controlled council came 2nd bottom, failing to collect 11.3% of the tax which it should be taking in.

Tax collected by the council is vital to the delivery of services, whilst unpaid taxes leave law abiding council taxpayers to foot the bill.

The new figures highlight a 1.4% decrease in Lambeth’s council tax collection rate over 2002/03, the 15th biggest decrease in the country over the last year.

Councillor Daniel Sabbagh, the Labour opposition Finance spokesman commented: -

“This is another example of Lambeth getting worse and not better under the Liberals and their Tory allies. Millions of pounds are being lost because they cannot manage a council tax collection system properly.

“It is truly shocking for a council to fail to collect 11.3% of its council tax. The average for London boroughs is 5.9%. Lambeth is becoming a tax dodgers paradise under the Liberals, which is hardly surprising considering their performance in other areas.”

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