WITH this year's council tax bills having fallen on the mats of householders in south Wiltshire, the New Forest and East Dorset, three groups are continuing to insist that the sums demanded are too high for the elderly.

The Royal British Legion, Help the Aged and Is It Fair? say the national average for council tax increases this year of six per cent is still too high for those on fixed incomes - and it is not remedied by the £100 bonus announced in the chancellor's budget.

Terry English, director of welfare at the Royal British Legion, said: "While we should all take pride in the success of the campaign resulting in less than double-figure rises for 2004, it is important to note that a six per cent average increase is still more than three times the rate of inflation.

"Our members are men and women who have served their country and worked hard - they now say that they can't afford 'luxuries' such as meeting friends for lunch or even buying a daily paper.

"For many, rises in council tax that aren't matched by pensions increases mean a life of deprivation and cutting back.

"This isn't fair, so the Legion will continue to support the aims of the Is It Fair? campaign."

Mervyn Kohler, head of public affairs for Help the Aged, said: "The current system of council tax penalises older people living on a fixed income.

"It is structurally flawed and in urgent need of reform.

"About 17 per cent of pensioners remain in persistent poverty, with single council taxpayers aged over 75 spending six per cent of their income on the tax.

"It appears that the £100 subsidy, nominally meant to help people over 70 with council tax bills, will take some time before it reaches the pockets of those who need it most.

"For many older people, this means months of going without in order to pay this year's bill."

Christine Melsom, head of the Is It Fair? campaign for the reform of council tax, said: "What the government is doing is tinkering with a system that is fundamentally flawed and in need of replacement."