HUNDREDS of millions of pounds in council tax debt run up over the decades could be wiped if Holyrood back proposals from the Scottish Greens, the party said today.

At present, council tax debt is pursued in Scotland for 20 years, a limit reset if any payments are made in the interim, meaning in some cases debts are still being pursued from as far back as 1993.

This compares to a six-year write-off period in England, Wales, and the six counties, a disparity Green MSP Ross Greer has sought to correct in his amendment to the Housing Bill presently making its way through Holyrood.

Calling for all pre-2020 council tax debt to be written-off, Mr Greer said: “Council tax debt is one of the biggest drivers of Scotland’s public debt crisis, locking thousands of vulnerable people into cycles of poverty which they can’t break out of.

“If we want to end poverty for good and make Scotland a better place to live, we have to end the systems that keep people stuck in cycles of unpayable debts.

“It is time to wipe out these decades-old council tax debts.”

“I’m just taking care of my business and really enjoying my tennis at the moment.”