Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, fears Labour’s plans to re-evaluate council tax will make families poorer in North Wales.
Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government and a harsh critic of the way Welsh Government refuse to listen to reason, said he is extremely concerned about this latest idea.
Speaking in Welsh Parliament he said:
So far in this Senedd term, we've seen proposals come through around a tourism tax, and now we see an attempt to reform council tax, both of which have graciously been given to local councils to actually face up to the decisions and the impact on their local residents.
Minister you said in your statement that many responses to phase 1 agreed that we should take action. Looking at the consultation responses from that phase 1, actually, when people were asked, 'Do you agree there should be council tax revaluation in 2025?', the majority of people actually said 'no'. When people were asked, 'Do you agree there should be frequent council tax revaluations?', the vast majority of people actually said 'no'.
You said that your aim isn't to raise more revenue with any of these reforms. It does seem like a lot of effort being undertaken to not see any more cash raised at the end of it, so I wonder what conversations you've had with council leaders on this particular point, especially as, as you know, councils are certainly strapped for cash at the moment when it comes to delivering those services, and how they feel about carrying on with a Welsh Government measure that won't see any change in terms of their revenue that they have to deal with.
We know that up to around 450,000 homes across Wales could see their council tax levels rise under the proposals being outlined. You've previously said that empathy is at the heart of your thinking on finance issues. I'd like to understand how raising a tax on 450,000 people aligns with the empathy that you feel for them through this consultation.
I would like to remind you of your closing words from your statement where you said, and I quote, that you will 'consider the consultation responses carefully.'
I know there have been instances recently on taxation-related consultation where people don't feel like they're being listened to. We noted, on the 182-day reform for holiday lets, that 97% of consultees responded to say that they think that shouldn't go ahead, but they weren't listened to.
Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans said they will absolutely be listening to the consultation.
Mr Rowlands added:
Since 1999 council tax in Wales has gone up by nearly 200%.
The Cardiff Labour Government claim they want fairness yet are stealthily planning on hiking council tax for people across Wales.
The last time a revaluation took place in Wales 1 in 3 families were hit with higher bills we can’t allow this to happen in the current cost of living challenge.
It’s vitally important that any council tax revaluation is fair and justified and doesn’t hit hard working people across Wales.
Sam Rowlands AS yn galw am ailbrisio'r dreth gyngor i fod yn deg a chyfiawn
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, yn ofni y bydd cynlluniau Llafur i ail-werthuso'r dreth gyngor yn gwneud teuluoedd yn dlotach yng Ngogledd Cymru.
Dywedodd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid a beirniad llym o'r ffordd y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwrthod gwrando ar reswm, ei fod yn hynod bryderus am y syniad diweddaraf hwn.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, dywedodd:
Hyd yma yn nhymor y Senedd hon, rydyn ni wedi gweld cynigion ynghylch y dreth dwristiaeth, a nawr rydyn ni’n gweld ymgais i ddiwygio'r dreth gyngor, ac mae'r ddau wedi cael eu rhoi i gynghorau lleol i wynebu'r penderfyniadau a'r effaith ar eu trigolion lleol.
Weinidog, dywedoch yn eich datganiad fod llawer o ymatebion i gam 1 yn cytuno y dylen ni weithredu. Wrth edrych ar yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad o'r cam 1 hwnnw, mewn gwirionedd, pan ofynnwyd i bobl, 'Ydych chi'n cytuno y dylid ailbrisio'r dreth gyngor yn 2025?', anghytunodd y rhan fwyaf o bobl. Pan ofynnwyd i bobl, 'Ydych chi'n cytuno y dylid ailbrisio'r dreth gyngor yn aml?', yr ateb oedd ‘na’.
Roeddech chi’n dweud nad codi mwy o refeniw gydag unrhyw un o'r diwygiadau hyn yw eich nod. Mae'n ymddangos fel llawer o ymdrech i beidio â gweld mwy o arian yn cael ei godi ar y diwedd, felly tybed pa sgyrsiau rydych chi wedi'u cynnal gydag arweinwyr cynghorau ar y pwynt penodol hwn, yn enwedig gan fod cynghorau, fel y gwyddoch, yn sicr yn brin o arian ar hyn o bryd o ran darparu'r gwasanaethau hynny, a sut maen nhw'n teimlo ynghylch parhau â mesur Llywodraeth Cymru na fydd yn gweld unrhyw newid o ran eu refeniw y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ddelio ag ef.
Rydyn ni’n gwybod y gallai hyd at 450,000 o gartrefi ledled Cymru weld lefelau'r dreth gyngor yn codi o dan y cynigion sy'n cael eu hamlinellu. Rydych chi wedi dweud o'r blaen bod empathi wrth wraidd eich ffordd o feddwl ar faterion cyllid. Hoffwn ddeall sut mae codi treth ar 450,000 o bobl yn cyd-fynd â'r empathi rydych chi'n ei deimlo drostyn nhw trwy'r ymgynghoriad hwn.
Hoffwn eich atgoffa o'ch geiriau wrth gloi’ch datganiad, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, y byddwch yn 'ystyried yr ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad yn ofalus.'
Rwy'n gwybod bod achosion wedi bod yn ddiweddar ar ymgynghoriad sy'n ymwneud â threthi lle nad yw pobl yn teimlo fel bod rhywun yn gwrando arnyn nhw. Nodwyd, ar y diwygiad 182 diwrnod ar gyfer llety gosod gwyliau, fod 97% o ymgynghoreion wedi ymateb i ddweud eu bod yn credu na ddylai hynny fynd yn ei flaen, ond ni wrandawyd arnyn nhw.
Dywedodd y Gweinidog Cyllid, Rebecca Evans y byddan nhw'n gwrando'n drylwyr ar yr ymgynghoriad.
Ychwanegodd Mr Rowlands:
Ers 1999 mae'r dreth gyngor yng Nghymru wedi cynyddu bron i 200%.
Mae Llywodraeth Lafur Caerdydd yn honni eu bod eisiau tegwch ond eto maen nhw’n cynllunio yn llechwraidd i gynyddu’r dreth gyngor i bobl ledled Cymru.
Y tro diwethaf i ailbrisio ddigwydd yng Nghymru cafodd 1 o bob 3 teulu eu taro â biliau uwch ac ni allwn ganiatáu i hyn ddigwydd yn yr her bresennol o ran costau byw.
Mae'n hollbwysig bod unrhyw ailbrisio'r dreth gyngor yn deg ac yn gyfiawn ac nad yw'n effeithio ar bobl sy'n gweithio'n galed ledled Cymru.
