Swinney: Scrap the tax

John Swinney has called for the council tax in Scotland to be scrapped.

The call came as UK ministers continue a review of local government finance.

Speculation suggests ministers may back a hybrid funding scheme based on both income and property value.

At a press conference on Tuesday the SNP leader said that the tax is crippling Scottish pensioners and demand it is replaced by a tax based on income.

The nationalists called for a "fair and transparent funding system for local government".

Setting out what will amount to pledge to introduce a local income tax, the SNP said the system should be "based on the ability to pay".

"Labour are not a party of low taxation. Since they came to power, council tax has gone up by a third – the average household is paying more than £220 extra per year under Labour," said a spokesman.

"The executive is largely in charge of council budgets – but it doesn’t take much to blow away the smoke and mirrors tricks they have tried to use to disguise cuts to council budgets and sell them as increases."