in Dundee

STUC general secretary Roz Foyer will call for a summit on replacing the “broken” council tax as she is expected to accuse Holyrood of “political cowardice” today.

The announcement, expected to be made in her address at congress in Dundee, comes months after the Scottish government admitted to plans for tens of thousands of job cuts over the next parliament to close a deficit it expects to grow to almost £5 billion by 2029/30.

The STUC has long argued that not only can cuts be avoided, but public services can be rebuilt using devolved powers, publishing a plan back in 2023, which included a proposal to replace the regressive council tax with a proportionate property tax and raise an additional £1bn a year for local authorities in the process.

Commenting ahead of her address, Ms Foyer said: “Communities in Scotland have been failed by those unwilling to take the radical decisions needed to change our economy for the better.

“Scotland’s local authorities have, for too long, been hamstrung by a broken system of council tax that has delivered poor public services and an increasing gap in the public finances.

“This must end. We are calling on all parties to step up to the plate and join, alongside our partners, our summit on banishing the broken council tax once and for all, giving workers a fighting chance of decent public services and well-funded local authorities.”

Recent YouGov polling for Tax Justice Scotland suggested that 56 per cent of voters would back a party political commitment to council tax reform in the next parliament, with an overwhelming 83 per cent demanding a fairer system.

Backing the STUC-convened summit, Tax Justice Scotland member and Oxfam Scotland head Jamie Livingstone said: “Council tax is a rusty relic from a bygone era.

“The next Scottish Parliament should unite and seize the chance to better tax wealth by replacing it with a fairer system fit for today, that properly reflects people’s property wealth, helps tackle poverty and raises more money for the vital public services we all rely on.”

Poverty Alliance chief executive Peter Kelly said: “People in Scotland are demanding better.

“Our political leaders must attend this important STUC summit and our new MSPs must create a new progressive system of local taxes to support the just and compassionate society we want and deserve.”