A motion calling on Westminster City Council to oppose Labour’s divisive Mansion Tax will be put forwarded by the Conservative Group of Westminster Council at a meeting of full council on Wednesday.
The notion of a 'Mansion' Tax is misleading, divisive and economically illiterate. Such a tax on ordinary family homes - by default of their location - would hurt Westminster residents who have bought their home with already taxed monies who may no longer have the income to afford such a 'tax bombshell'.
Cllr Melvyn Caplan will propose the motion, which will argue that a 'Mansion' Tax on a property takes no account of a person's income and their ability to pay year on year. Such a tax in a fluctuating market could lead to many elderly Westminster residents and those on fixed incomes being forced out of their homes or families being saddled with major debts. A likely ' capital flight' will impact on Westminster’s economy, break up communities and will not raise substantial monies to fund public services.
Cllr Lindsey Hall, who is the Conservative candidate for the General Election in Westminster North said: “The idea of a mansion tax on the super-rich may sound appealing to some, but what Ed Miliband and the Labour Party are proposing is nothing of the sort. It is a tax on family homes and it will be ordinary people who have made their home in Westminster for decades who will suffer most.
“Every day I meet people living in fear of this unfair tax. People who bought their home for tens of thousands of pounds but have seen the value of their property rise. People who want to carry on living in their own home, but cannot afford to pay Labour’s tax. People who don’t want to see their communities broken up.
“There is no reason why the motion should not be adopted unanimously. Even key London Labour figures like Glenda Jackson and Tessa Jowell have joined me in condemning this tax. Those who can’t see their way to back this motion are playing party politics with the lives of our elderly residents and those on fixed incomes.”
The Council Meeting will take place as follows and is open to the public:
Date: Wednesday 29th April, 2015
Venue: Porchester Hall, Porchester Road, Bayswater, London, W2 5DU
Time: 7.00 pm
Admission to the public gallery is from 6.30pm
