Wednesday, 20 Nov 2024

Tax POLL: Should taxes be raised for those in the UK who live near parks? VOTE HERE

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The Social Market Foundation (SMF) suggested the idea as a means to help cash-strapped councils maintain open spaces. The idea comes as the debate about the importance of the UK’s parks has heated up since the nationwide lockdown was ordered in March. The SMF said the UK should look to a system in some US cities which sees locals fork out money for parks to be kept in good nick.

But it seems not everyone is convinced it would be a fair plan to roll out in British communities.

One person tweeted: “I live near a rubbish dump. Should I have my taxes cut?

“Why not save money and ditch reports like taxing people who live near parks. La La land policy.”

A second person wrote: “I live near a 168-acre park. The people who live around it are on a council estate.

“How can these people afford to pay more taxes?”

And a third said he would be up for paying more money for a local park if he had round-the-clock access.

He said: “I’ll pay higher tax to live by a park if you give me a key to the gates.”

Another person said the idea was “ridiculous”.

They said: “Parks are there for everyone.

“We pay for their upkeep through our council taxes.

“It’s a bonus having to walk a little further to get to your nearest park at the moment.

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“The idea of extra taxes to go towards parks is ridiculous.”

Others claimed it would be unfair to charge nearby households higher taxes when the parks are there for everyone’s use.

One man said: “Everybody is entitled to use the parks not just people who live by them.

“Why should people who live by parks pay for others to use that park?? Discrimination 100 percent.”

The London-based think-tank said higher taxes for locals is just one option that should be considered to help fund park maintenance.

Linus Pardoe, the report’s author, said: “One option is to tax for living near a park — properties within 100 metres of a park are on average £2,500 more expensive than those 500 metres away.”

The SMF report said up to 27,000 urban green spaces across the country are often poorly maintained.

It said because many councils simply do not have enough money to meet the costs of keeping their parks looking their best, the job is often left to community groups.

The report also said the NHS should play a role in maintaining parks and developing new green areas because of their importance for people’s mental and physical health.

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