WHEN I received my council tax demand I was became convinced City of York Council now has a "smoke and mirrors department".

The council tax bill is set out in such a way as to claim the council charge has only increased by 2.93 per cent.

This is utter nonsense, disingenuous and totally misleading.

To calculate the percentage change, either this year's tax should be compared with that for 2003-04 excluding the fire and rescue element, or the fire and rescue charge should be added to this year's tax to compare it with last year's tax that was inclusive of fire and rescue costs.

Either way, by comparing like-with-like, the increase exceeds nine per cent.

I accept that there is an attempted disclaimer at the foot of the bill stating that the charges for the two years are not direct comparisons.

Surely, therefore, it would have been more honest to show the percentage change as "not applicable" instead of boasting that the city's increase is a mere 2.93 per cent.

Furthermore, however the figures are presented there is no escaping the fact that the council tax has been increased this year by 9.2 per cent - and that on top of the extortionate rise last year of more than 13 per cent.

Tony Gregory,

Millgates,

York.

...MOST of us will have received our council tax demand notice for 2004/05 this week.

I cannot believe how a Beacon council can so blatantly misrepresent the impact of the increase during last year.

Clearly, whether we agree with the basis of collection or not, we all need to contribute to the cost of services provided, education, social services etc. But to pretend that the cost of City of York Council element of a band D property has risen by just 2.93 per cent is a complete fabrication.

It is convenient to the politicians, no doubt, to totally ignore the £5.6 million in last year's council spend attributable to the fire and rescue authority but it exposes their deviousness in trying to hide the real increase in Band D.

Rather than the 2.93 per cent increase they would have us believe, the real increase (comparing both years excluding the fire authority costs) is something like 6.8 per cent i.e. more than double what they conclude.

During the last three years there has been an increase of 20.8 per cent for the city council, 99.5 per cent for the fire Authority and 174 per cent for the police authority.

Who is accountable?

Mike Newsome,

Front Street,

Acomb, York.

...TODAY I received my council tax demand form for 2004/5 and comparing it with the previous year found it very confusing.

Surely it is not difficult to show the figures in an easy and understandable way, or is City of York Council trying to hide the truth that this is again an increase three to four times the rate of inflation? Figures and facts should be transparent just as much as the decision-making process by all councils, not hidden behind meaningless comparisons.

C W Harland,

Chaldon Close,

Strensall, York.

...I HAVE just received my demand for council tax. I was staggered to see the increase of nearly £100.

The fire service element brought a £50 surprise. They were honest, they did print how much went on pensions, but the police didn't.

Why can't they come clean and tell how much is going on their pensions?

Some of us have to provide for our own retirement without help from the taxpayer. Why should we provide for others, especially since there is no improvement in service - the police, to quote, "will attempt to deliver the same levels of performance as last year"?

D Allen,

Elmtree Avenue,

Upper Poppleton, York.

Updated: 10:26 Friday, March 19, 2004