There will be no revaluation of council tax bands in England during this Parliament, the government has pledged.

It means there will be no rise in local taxes for householders based solely on the increased value of their homes.

Every property in England is in one of eight council tax bands, depending on value, and these were last set in 1993.

The government said Labour had been "actively planning" to carry out a revaluation but Labour said its election manifesto had promised not to.

A revaluation is long overdue, but would prove highly unpopular with householders who find themselves in a higher band and therefore paying more in council tax, said the BBC's Greg Wood.

A revaluation in Wales in 2005 placed about a third of all homes there in a higher band.

The government says that a rise from Band D - the bench mark for council tax - to Band E would cost an extra £320-a-year.

The former Labour government had planned to revalue council tax bands in England in 2007, but announced in 2005 that it would postpone the decision until after the next general election.

This feels like [LIFTED] to me - revaluation hasn't been done since the 90s, yet my council tax magically goes up every year!

This feels like [LIFTED] to me - revaluation hasn't been done since the 90s, yet my council tax magically goes up every year!
What are the chances that these yearly increments, combined with the slump in values, would mean that a revaluation would see rates drop and councils lose tax revenue?

This feels like [LIFTED] to me - revaluation hasn't been done since the 90s, yet my council tax magically goes up every year!
What are the chances that these yearly increments, combined with the slump in values, would mean that a revaluation would see rates drop and councils lose tax revenue?

It should be a rolling valuation system. When ever you sell then it gets revalued, whenever you apply for planning permission it should be revalued. That will avoid the situation of properties getting seriously out of alignment with their rateable values.

Er, several problems there.

Firstly, the expense.

Secondly, the riots you'll have on the streets when people get stung.

Council tax is a ridiculous idea anyway - it leads to the absurd situation where poor people in large houses are effectively bankrupted by their local authority, and rich people in small houses get off lightly. A local income tax is a more ideal solution.

I don't really see the point anyway - isn't the important fact the relative value - if your house is worthntwice as much you pay more council tax kind of thing? Assuming most properties have risen roughly in proportion the numbers won't acytually be any different.

I don't really see the point anyway - isn't the important fact the relative value - if your house is worthntwice as much you pay more council tax kind of thing? Assuming most properties have risen roughly in proportion the numbers won't acytually be any different.