TORY ARGUMENT. ON COUNCIL HOUSES . RXPOSED from Tony Southall
Tho hoary cold Tory crgument about owneroccupiers subsidising Council House ronts has been oxposed by Mr. Kaim—Caudle, lecturer in social adminstration at Durham University. Writing in tho current issue of Local Governmont Finance, ho says of the frequent complaint made by wner-occupiocrs that as taxpayers and ratepayors thoy havo to subsidise council tenants: “any of thom are genuinely unaware that they themselvos receive a tax remission." To support his argument on this matter he takes as an example a man aged 35 buying a house on an insurance with a £2,000 mortgage over 20 years, whose income is sufficient for him to be paying tax at the standard rate. This man's relics would amount to tax liability of £93 a yeoare
He continued, the eonly peooplo who do not benefit from subsidies or tax remissions aro tenants of unfurnished houses rented from private landlords (and not subject to rent restriction) or the tenants of furnished houses. The figures he gave for the share out of subsidies and tax reliofs were revealing. In 1962 they were:
Council House tenants: Central Governmont £78 millions
Local Government 47 wy
Total £125 "
Owner-occupiors: Romission on Schedula A £135 w
Tax savings on mortgage 85 "
Other (National Assistance, grants, otc) £104 "
Grand total £449 -
So in practice tax reliof, etc.,to ownor—occupiers is almost twice as much as the total subsidies to council house tenants. So those poople who have-been fooled by Tory propaganda on this point should direct their attention to real causo of thoir difficulties: the Tory Governmont's policies which result in land-speoculation and increasing interest rates. Thus instead of the Council house tenant being their enemy he is an ally.