Council Tax

Fair, Sustainable, And Fit For The Future

Scotland’s councils are being forced to implement the largest Council Tax rises in over 20 years, piling further pressure on hardworking families. This is not a choice freely made by local authorities, but the result of chronic underfunding and financial constraints.

While Council Tax provides an important share of local budgets, most council funding comes from the Scottish Government — with increasing amounts tied up in ring-fenced grants that restrict flexibility and undermine local decision-making. The current system is unsustainable and unfair.

ALBA believes that instead of burdening households with ever-higher bills, Scotland must reform how local government is funded. Councils need a fairer, more sustainable settlement that allows them to deliver vital services and invest in their communities.

That is why ALBA calls for:

- An immediate freeze on Council Tax until it can be replaced.

- A fairer, more progressive system of local taxation, where those with the broadest shoulders contribute the most.

- A National Assembly and working group to develop comprehensive policy on local government funding reform, to be debated by members at Conference.

Scotland deserves a system of local government finance that is fair, sustainable, and fit for the future — not one that forces councils to pass the burden onto families already struggling with the cost of living.