3.8% council tax rise looms (From Oxford Mail)

3.8% council tax rise looms

5:39pm Wednesday 14th January 2009 in

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A council tax increase of 3.87 per cent is being lined up by Oxfordshire County Council.

Despite the recession and earlier warnings of a £3m shortfall, the ruling Conservative administration is set to agree on a rise exactly the same as last year’s.

The council’s cabinet is expected to recommend the 3.87 per cent rise for 2009-10 at its meeting on Tuesday. The final decision on its budget will be made by the full council on February 10, with the raised tax coming into effect from April 1.

About 80 per cent of Oxfordshire’s council tax bills are made up of money spent by the county council.

The remainder of the charge is levied by the district, town and parish councils and Thames Valley Police.

The current county council share of Band D tax bills is £1,089.75.

If the rise is 3.87 per cent, it would mean around £42 extra a year on the bill.

Charles Shouler, the county council’s cabinet member for finance, said: “The economic chaos that the world has been plunged into has made this a particularly difficult year to set a budget.

“Given the rapidly changing nature of the picture, it’s not impossible that the time that elapses between our cabinet recommendation and the council finally setting a budget on February 10 will see more changes that could lead to us having to re-evaluate.

“However, as things stand cabinet will be asked to propose a 3.87 per cent rise, the same as last year’s.”

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