82% say Axe the Council Tax

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 15th Sep 2003

As part of the Welsh Lib Dems Axe the Tax campaign Monmouthshire Liberal Democrats organised a referendum on the Council tax. Over one thousand people voted and 82% said Yes to scrapping the Council Tax.

The referendum was conducted at the Monmouth Show where Mike German AM joined local party members to encourage people to take part.

Voters were asked two questions. 60% also said that they would like to see a local income tax as suggested by the Liberal Democrats.

Mike German said, "These local referendums are a great idea, they get people thinking about the inequalities of the Council Tax and are a great campaigning tool."

Monmouth Lib Dems will be rolling out a programme of street stall referenda to towns across the county. The results will be a central part of the campaign in the run up to local election polling day in 2004.

Referendum organiser Phil Hobson said, "The idea has captured peoples' imagination, generating plenty of positive feedback. We will keep plugging the benefits of LIT - when people understand it they vote for it.....in greater numbers than we thought!"

If you want advice on holding a referendum similar to Monmouth, call Phil Hobson at 079 6634 3978.