THE cost of living crisis is expected to lead to more people getting into council tax debt this year.

Council Tax is expected to increase again in April when new rates are set, leading to even more pressure on household budgets.

Glasgow City Council is facing a budget shortfall of £120m and is expected to increase bills.

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Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) is warning levels of council tax debt could soar in 2023 as new data reveals the staggering scale of arrears across Scotland.

Between September 2021 and September 2022, 3,717 CAB clients owed a total of £12.7 million for unpaid council tax bills.

The average debt is £3,420, which CAS said is almost three times the average council tax bill in 2022/23 of £1,238.

In Glasgow, a Band C council tax bill is currently £1269.

Citizens Advice Scotland is warning the cost of living crisis could lead to people prioritising costs like food, housing and energy and falling even further behind on council tax bills.

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Myles Fitt, CAS Financial Health spokesperson said: “Council tax debt is the biggest debt issue the Citizens Advice network deals with and these figures suggest the cost of living crisis could see an explosion in the levels of arrears across the country as people prioritise expenditure for immediate cost of living needs.

“CAB clients owe over £12.7 million in arrears with the average debt being almost three times as much as the average bill. That is the scale of the debt some people are facing while the cost of living continues to soar – it is no wonder people find themselves taking longer and longer to pay off their debt.”

Previous research from Citizens Advice Scotland found a large increase in complex debt clients - those with multiple debts – who would take longer to pay off their debts, with 1 in 2 clients having no money to pay down their debts after covering essential outgoings.

Mr Fitt added: “People feeling worried about their finances can always turn to the Citizens Advice network for help. Our advice is free, confidential and impartial and can deliver real results. We never charge people for advice and are for everyone, regardless of whether you are working or not.”