Taxation and the middle class

[danbrotherston]

Are we really sugar coating a tax hike on behalf if the City?

Call it a fee then - is this happening only this year with a dip in 2022 back to 2020 rates (or fees?)? I know the distinction between rate and fee and rate --> ultimately amount paid is a by product of the "value" of the house (re-assessed every few years etc)...what are we talking about here?

Fees and taxes are fundamentally different.

Taxes are an amount paid depending on what you have, fees are paid based on what you use.  Taxes subsidize things--wealthy people pay more poor people pay less regardless of how much they use.  Fees are a direct pay for use, if I want to pay less in water, I can use less water, I am incentivised to use less water in fact.

I'm not sure why you're calling it sugar coating, and I'm not sure what you mean by "is this happening every year"...it happens every year, because costs go up as the population increases and the currency inflates.  1.1% is a very low increase.