Local Labour politicians have revealed that 18,870 households across Dumfries and Galloway face a tax bombshell of up to £736 as a result of planned Council Tax hikes by the SNP Green Scottish Government.

The SNP Green government are currently consulting on plans to increase Council Tax for properties in bands E to H – which would hit over a quarter of households in Dumfries and Galloway.

Abolishing the Council Tax was a key plank of the SNP’s 2007 Holyrood election manifesto which led to the party entering government for the first time. Now they plan to keep what Nicola Sturgeon described as the “hated Council Tax”.

Under the SNP Green Government’s plans, households across Scotland would face increases in their Council Tax of 7.5 percent for a band E property, 12.5 percent for band F, 17.5 percent for band G and 22.5 per cent for those in bands H.

A 22.5 percent increase on a band H property in Dumfries and Galloway would see bills rise by £735.84- over and above any annual increase agreed as part of local council’s budget.

The consultation follows years of brutal cuts to Council budgets by the SNP Green Government that have led to Dumfries and Galloway Council having to make tens of millions of pounds of savings- despite increases in Council Tax.

Recent budget proposals from the ruling Tory group on the council meant a 6 percent hike in Council Tax came into effect in April. A move by Labour to peg the increase at 5 percent was defeated when the council set the budget in February.

South Scotland Labour MSP Colin Smyth said “Everyone has seen the impact on local services of years of brutal cuts imposed on the council by the SNP Green Government but now they want to try to plug their gaps with eye-watering Council Tax hikes of up to £736.

“This damaging Council Tax bombshell will hit 18,870 households across our region during the worst cost of living crisis in decades, piling pressure on people already facing impossible financial decisions.

“Families in Dumfries and Galloway struggling with rising bills should be getting support from their government – but instead they are being asked to foot the bill for the SNP and Green’s failure to fund our councils properly.

“I’ll be standing up for people struggling with soaring living costs by fighting for a fair deal for Dumfries and Galloway from the Government and opposing this council tax bombshell when it comes before Parliament”.

Leader of the Labour Group on Dumfries and Galloway Council, Councillor Archie Dryburgh said, “People understand that they need to pay council tax but what angers everyone is the fact that they have seen Council Tax increase, but at the same time have had massive cuts to local services as a result of a reduction in funding to councils by the SNP Green Government in recent years.

“It is a scandal that thousands of ordinary families across Dumfries and Galloway will be asked being to pay even more while getting less in return.

“It’s 16 years since the SNP were elected to Government on a clear pledge to scrap the Council Tax. Now they just want to increase it.

“Labour will be proposing a motion to the next meeting of full council calling for the council to unite in opposition to these damaging plans.”