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A Bristol councillor has warned that a “revolution” looms if housing inequalities are not addressed.

Clifton Down representative Clive Stevens, a Green Party member, made the comment as he called for council tax to be scrapped.

He said: “We’re increasingly becoming a nation of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ regarding land ownership and we need to stop that over the coming years or eventually it will end up as a revolution of some sort or another.”

Mr Stevens played a key role in ensuring the national Green Party adopted a policy earlier this month to abandon council tax in favour of Land Value Tax (LVT).

Speaking to Bristol Live, the former Bath University business lecturer described council tax as “completely not fit for purpose”.

He said: “It’s extremely regressive and what I mean by that is very wealthy people don’t pay much more than people on low incomes.”

What is council tax?

Introduced under John Major’s Conservative government in 1993, council tax is paid by both homeowners and renters alike.

The amount payable varies according to how much a property was valued at in 1991.

In Bristol, houses worth more than £320,000 attract a tax of £3,964.20 per year, while those at the other end of the spectrum - worth up to and including £40,000 - attract a tax of £1,321.42 per year.

Discounts and exemptions are available in certain circumstances.

What is council tax spent on?

Local authorities use council tax revenues to fund a range of services.

These include bin collections, buses, road repairs and looking after children and vulnerable adults.

And what is Land Value Tax?

The system that Green Party members wish to introduce would see landowners paying a levy based on land values.

What does Mr Stevens say?

Redland resident Mr Stevens argues that replacing council tax with LVT would be beneficial in several ways.

Among the most significant effects of LVT would be that more homes would become available, Mr Stevens claims.

He said: “We would come in with a very low rate [of LVT] in year one and that means immediately, if you’re sitting on land that hasn’t been touched, you’re going to suddenly be taxed on it and that’s going to cause you to sell the land or develop it.”

If more houses are built, according to Mr Stevens, the laws of supply and demand will mean landlords will find it more difficult to get away with putting up rents.

As a result, said Mr Stevens, tenants will end up with more money in their pockets, which could improve the local economy as people visit shops more frequently.

Describing the overall impact, Mr Stevens said: “The tenant is better off and the landowner is worse off and the shopkeeper is better off and the owner-occupier is about the same.”

Another advantage that LVT enjoys over council tax, according to Mr Stevens, is that it takes into account ‘unfair enrichment’ - which is when a property’s values are affected by state spending.

An example, said Mr Stevens, was the establishment of Redland Green School in north Bristol.

“Local property values jumped because it meant you didn’t need to send your children to private school and that enrichment is caused by the state investment - but the taxpayer bears the cost and people living nearby get the benefit,” said the councillor.

If LVT were implemented, public investment which raises the value of a site would end up benefiting the community through higher tax receipts, proponents of the tax argue.

In a further endorsement of LVT, Mr Stevens emphasised how easy it is to collect.

He said: “Wealth tax is very easy to avoid, as has been proven in a number of countries, but land tax you can’t avoid because the land is here - you can’t tow the land offshore.

“So even if your company is offshore you still need to pay Land Value Tax.”

Mr Stevens said the agreement of other political parties would be required in order for LVT to be introduced, but he went on to express doubts about the likelihood of the Conservative Party choosing to back it.

“In my view it’s not got onto UK statutes because the Conservatives represent the landowning classes and they’re not going to do very well if they introduce a tax on their voters,” said Mr Stevens.

Bristol Live made unsuccessful attempts to interview a number of Conservative councillors on Bristol City Council.

What does the UK government say about council tax?

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Council tax is essential for public services, so everyone who is eligible should pay their fair share for their circumstances.

“Local council tax reduction schemes are available in every area to provide support to those with lower incomes.

“We are working with partners to create a more efficient council tax collection system which treats people with compassion while protecting the public purse.”