Sadiq Khan has provoked fury after he announced that he wants to increase his share of the council tax for Londoners by 8.6 percent.
Conservative London Mayor candidate Susan Hall accused Khan of “treating Londoners like a cash machine” and said that the increase was wholly unjustified.
The revelation comes just a day after the Government announced a £250 million bailout for Transport for London (TfL) which Khan is responsible for.
Ms Hall said: “Sadiq Khan is treating Londoners like walking cash machines, wasting money on spin doctors and PR stunts, while raising his council tax by over 70 percent since he was elected.”
She also pointed out that the tax increase comes after the raid on Londoners’ pockets earlier this year when he imposed the hated £12.50 a day ULEZ charge for thousands of vehicles in outer London.
Ms Hall went on: “He’s already fleecing Londoners with his unfair ULEZ expansion, raking in millions off the backs of the lowest earners.
“We cannot afford another four years of Sadiq Khan. As Mayor, I will get City Hall’s finances under control and get on with what matters – reducing crime and scrapping his unfair ULEZ expansion on day one.”
The 8.6 percent increase by Khan in his share of the council tax contrasts with when Boris Johnson was London Mayor and managed to freeze his part of the rate.
It means Khan’s share of a benchmark Band D bill will increase by £37.26 to £471.40 – almost £200 more than when he came to power in 2016.
The average council tax rate in 15 of London’s 33 boroughs, which are mostly controlled by Labour councils, is set to break £2,000 in the midst of a cost of living crisis.
Mr Khan has claimed that he is being forced to raise council tax due to a “lack of Government funding” for the Met police, fire brigade and TfL despite the £250 million bailout.
Previously, Khan has claimed that the council tax is a “regressive” way of raising funds.
The issue is now set to join ULEZ and crime as a key issue in next year’s London mayoral election.
Despite Labour’s lead in the national polls, Mr Khan is seen as vulnerable because of anger over ULEZ.
This was highlighted in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election to replace Boris Johnson when the Tories held on for victory despite polling suggesting it should have been an easy Labour victory.
