Council tax up 96% in 10 years
COUNCIL tax has increased at nearly four times the rate of the average pensioner's income during the past 10 years, figures showed today.
The average council tax bill for someone living in England has soared by 96% 1996/1997, rising from around £646 to £1,268, according to equity release adviser Key Retirement Solutions.
But during the same period the amount the average pensioner couple have coming in has increased by just 27% to £21,668, and the Retail Prices Index has risen by only 29%.
Those pensioners who are on fixed incomes have been hit particularly hard by the rise in council tax, which now accounts for a large slice of their income. Unsurprisingly, 86% of pensioners say the tax is the bill they most resent having to pay.
Retired people in the East of England have been hit hardest by increases, seeing their bills soar by 104% during the past 10 years to average £1,232, followed by those in the South East at 102% and people in the South West at 99%.
Pensioners in the North West saw the lowest council tax rise at just 66% to £1,235, but this is likely to be because people in this region paid the most in 1996/1997.
Dean Mirfin, business development director at Key Retirement Solutions, said: 'With the state increasingly putting the onus on individuals to make sufficient provision for their retirement, this research really highlights the importance of saving for this goal.'
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