Taxpayers Alliance gets it wrong on pensions

Commenting on the TaxPayers' Alliance report released today, which wrongly calculates that £1 in every £5 in council tax goes towards local government pensions, Heather Wakefield, UNISON’s head of local government, said: "This simply isn’t true. Actually, the local government pension scheme costs the taxpayer just 5p in every £1 paid in council tax. "Councils get only 25% of their revenue from council tax, 75% comes from other sources, including business rates and local government grants. "If the schemes were closed down, or people were priced out, they would be pushed onto means-tested benefits in their retirement. When dinner ladies, social workers and care staff retire, on average they will get just £4,000 a year, dropping to just £2,600 for women."The TPA should concentrate on getting their facts straight, rather than attacking sustainable and affordable schemes."