Yeovil MP David Laws has called for the Council Tax to be scrapped and replaced by a fairer system based on income.

Mr Laws has been left staggered by new figures released from the Office of National Statistics which show that the poor pay more than three times as much as a proportion of their income as the rich.

He has now described it as the 'unfairest tax in Britain' and has called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, to reform the Council Tax system.

Figures have revealed that in England, the poorest pay 3.5 times more than the richest in proportion of their disposable income, even after benefits. The poorest fifth of people, including vulnerable pensioners, pay 4.6 per cent of their income in Council Tax, while the richest pay just 1.3 per cent.

And Mr Laws stormed: "The Council Tax is rapidly becoming the unfairest tax in Britain - hitting the poor and vulnerable over three times harder than the rich.

"The Government has had six years to address these inequalities, but the gap between rich and poor keeps on growing.

"Why should the poor pay more? The Council Tax must be scrapped and replaced by a fair tax based on incomes and not property values.

"Pensioners are particularly losing out from the recent huge increases in Council Tax - with pensions going up only at the rate of inflation, but Council Taxes at up to four times the rate of price increases.

"I called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer last week to reform Council Tax so that it is based on people's ability to pay - not their property value.

"Unless this is done soon the poorest people in this country will continue to pay the most Council Tax relative to their income."

Only last week the Express reported how the Yeovil MP had asked the Chancellor when he would be 'fair to pensioners', many of whom had to pay the same amount of Council Tax as Mr Brown, who earns £117,000 a year.