Since it was introduced on April Fools' day in 1993, council tax has risen much faster than the rate of inflation.

For every £100 you paid in 1993, you are now paying more than £200. If the increases had kept in line with inflation (the same as wages and pensions have), for every £100 you paid in 1993, you should now be paying only about £137.

Heads you lose, tails the system wins. It's hardly a level playing field, is it?

Council tax based on the estimated market value of your property is scandalous because property values have no bearing on what it costs to provide local services.

If the value of your home increases, do services cost any more to deliver? Of course not. If the wheel comes off and there is a property crash, will you then be ordered to pay less council tax? You won't. So why not?

Basing a tax for services on the estimated value of your home is unfair. Many low earners and pensioners are now paying more than 25 per cent of their income in council tax. Many are paying more now in council tax than they are in income tax. That says it all.

-Dave Bonwick, Portslade