I, AS member for South Wales Central, have condemned the Liberal Democrats as the party of high tax, following their proposals to introduce a local income tax.
Council tax bills have soared in Labour-controlled parts of Wales and now the Liberal Democrats' proposals for a local income tax would cost the average household in the Vale of Glamorgan an extra £508 a year, if implemented.
Hard-working families and people in shared houses with more than one earner would see their tax bills rise substantially. Pensioners will also suffer, as their savings would be taxed. I really do not think that a local income tax is the answer.
Rather than taxing the vulnerable, the Welsh Conservatives believe that council tax rises should be linked to inflation over the next five years. The National Assembly Government has systematically failed to adequately fund local authorities like the Vale of Glamorgan. It is time for the National Assembly to fund local authorities properly and stop passing costs for public services on to local council-tax payers.
David Melding AM The National Assembly for Wales Cardiff Bay Cardiff
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