The council tax bills are being set on Thursday

Council tax bills in Scotland are set to increase by an average of 4.4% for the coming year.

Most of the 32 local authorities met on Thursday to decide on their charges for the next 12 months.

The individual increases ranged from under 2% to almost 10% at Band D level.

The announcements came amid mounting calls for the reform or abolition of the system, which will be considered as part of a planned review of local government finance.

BBC News Online Scotland asked for your views on the council tax rise in your area and how it affects you.

We had a large response to this e-mail discussion and here is selection of your views. This Have Your Say is now closed.

Whatever scheme was in place some groups of people would complain about it. I live in Glasgow and as far as I see we have the highest council tax in Scotland, all be it the lowest increase. So what do we get for this money? Our bins and rubbish taken away, streets cleaned by an army of cleaners, the roads gritted within minuets of snow and ice, free and well maintained parks to enjoy, free museums and subsidised city parking and much more. We get the elderly visited every day if need be, schools and nurseries upgraded, we get our water rates included... what else do you want, if you want a western hip city someone (us) have to pay for it, or would you like to live in a slum as was many years ago. Stop moaning and pay up... Glasgow's worth it by far.
Darren Morris, Glasgow

I am really annoyed. Bought my first house in July and had a difficult six months so far. Anticipate the next six months to be just as hard. I am loving living on my own, but it's a real struggle to pay all the bills. An increase in council tax is all I need!!!
Morgan Johnstone, Edinburgh, Scotland

Where were all you people when the Scottish Socialist Party effectively destroyed any chance of the poll tax working? That wasn't based on the price of your house, poor people got reduced charges and every single adult paid their share. Of course poll tax may well have risen at the same astronomical rates as council tax due to inept, unaccountable councils. What you should worry more about is the differential between Scotland and England averages. In England the average is around �1,000 but that includes water and sewerage, you Scots need to pay for water and sewerage on top (and it's not like Scotland is ever short of water!).
Bob, UK

To those advocating a return to the poll tax type of setup. The last time it was in force my wife was unable to work yet she was expected to pay the full tax. She had no income at all which meant both our taxes had to come out of our already stretched single wage. The same thing is happening with the council tax. It keeps climbing and services are being reduced yet councillors can jet all over the place for their little fact-finding missions. They don't need to increase this tax or even change it. They just have to get council spending into line and stop wasting money on someone's bright ideas.
Hugh, Dumbarton

The big problem is that there's no way that the level that councillors set the council tax affects them personally. They can always vote to increase their own salaries and allowances to cover any increase that the rest of us have to pay. The argument that they can always be booted out at the ballot box is a non-starter in so many councils where there is either near one-party rule or rule by cliques of "independents" where it doesn't matter who you vote for a politician always gets in. What about a simple system - for every percentage point over inflation that a council increases its council tax, the councillors lose a percentage point off their salaries and allowances, and vice versa. It would clarify their minds wonderfully.
James, Moray

If pay rises are set at the rate of inflation then on what or whose authority does Moray Council have the right to raise our taxes by 9.8%? Gas, electric, fuel and other items have gone up but wages are not. How do we afford this new rise?
Ian Geddes, Elgin

Councils should be made more accountable on how they spend tax payers' money. The only reason Glasgow's council tax has the lowest increase is because they made huge increases in the earlier years, but Glaswegians are still paying the highest council tax in Scotland. I am now considering moving outside Glasgow to save money. Britain, especially Scotland, is becoming a tax state. It won't be long before our salaries are taken at source and pocket money given to us.
John Cairns, Glasgow

It is a disgrace when the area of Scotland which is statistically has the lowest wages has the largest increase in council tax. Something is not right here!
Helen Ford, Moray, Scotland

I work hard for what I have but another increase cannot be justified especially since I see nothing for it. All the talk about changing it to income based will just make things worse as I already pay enough tax. So get the councils to get their houses in order first before you ask the public to pay any more and you never know we maybe due money back
Andrew, Lanarkshire

I'm a civil servant and this year received a pay rise of �41.00 per month, after Tax & National Insurance contributions. I am better off by �18.00 per month. Council tax is set to rise in my area, about 3.5% although this is lower than the national average, it's very worrying for me. I've still to take into account water and sewerage rises, rent and general cost of living rises. After all this is paid I'll be worse off!! It seems to be for the average person in Britain, the harder you work the more your penalised. As usual, the middle man always looses out!
Lisa Davies, Motherwell, Scotland

I don't know where the government think we can keep magically producing these above-inflation rises from our monthly salaries which are not even rising in line with inflation. I'd also like to know what we are paying for. Living in a rural community, I now have no post office and shop, non-existent transport links and every road out of the village has potholes requiring you to drive down the centre of the road to avoid constant damage to your car. It seems to me that all my council tax is paying for at the moment is my bin emptied once a week. Something needs to be done to change the system, although I do think that a local income based tax will only serve to make the average family pay more. What about all those people down south who are managing to pay �500,000 or more for houses? The old rateable value system seemed fairer to me.
Michelle, East Ayrshire

Surely it is time to do something about the regressive nature of our taxation system. The poorest are paying more of their income proportionally for VAT, Income Tax, National Insurance and then the council tax comes as big whammy on top. I think the time is becoming ripe for withholding the payments until they come up with something fairer.
Sean, Paisley, Scotland

It can hardly come as a surprise (because it was so widely predicted) that a Soviet-style republic is emerging in Scotland where the "rich" (those silly enough to work) are subject to persecution levels of council tax in order to finance the expanding leisure interests of the burgeoning welfare class.
Ubi, Aberdeen

Think it is terrible that the rates go up yet again, East Dunbartonshire has the highest rate of payers and still they are increased. Very little has been done to merit the increase.
Miss Scott, Kirkintilloch, East Dunbartonshire

Perhaps if councils remembered that they work for us, the Scottish voter, and didn't waste money on schemes which no-one wants or won't work, then perhaps the charges won't increase. If Edinburgh council can afford a �900,000 prize for the person who thinks up a slogan for Edinburgh, or stopped wasting money by not taking trips abroad to evaluate how other tram systems work, then perhaps we wouldn't see suck a large increase.
Craig, Edinburgh

I know councils rely more on government grant than council tax for their funding but they can't justify continually having increases two or three times the rate of inflation.
Julie, Dunfermline

This is the perfect government indirect taxation under the guise of a local taxation. It's about time that this tax was collected at source based on income then the government would then have to take responsibility for this taxation.
Jon, Ballencrieff, East Lothian

I think that before council taxes are risen, the local authorities should sort out the shambolic collection system. I've been trying to sort out my council tax with Glasgow City Council for nearly a year. Every time I send an exemption form, it gets lost, and I was told that there is a six month backlog of correspondence. Thanks to them, I'm getting threatening letters from bailiffs, when I should be exempt from the beginning.
Alaina Bell, Glasgow, Scotland

The council tax is simply stupid, it doesn't increase accountability, it's not based on ability to pay and it's far far far too high. The Scottish Executive and all the councils seem to think that a 5% increase is fine, well it's not. This is double inflation and it's been that way for years. Could councils be more efficient? Of course they could!! Look at the example of that other useless public body - Scottish Water. Water charges are three times - that's 300% - higher than in England, and the Scottish Executive has just protected Scottish Water from competition - why? The customer culture, which is so strong in the private sector, simply does not exist in the public sector, and why should it, they will get paid no matter how bad they are. It's time for a change, a huge radical change. Do we actually need 32 councils in tiny Scotland? In fact do we need any at all?
Ian, Glasgow

Council tax is only part of the amount of money councils receive. I would imagine one reason for the rise is that central government are not pumping more into councils. Ultimately the money comes from you, so take your pick is it your council or income tax you want to rise?
Rod, Edinburgh

As a council tax payer I think the consensus is that for every increase in council tax there is little improvement for the average householder to see. As a council worker I see mismanagement of budgets and employees with little to do. So in effect I feel there are other ways to increase the council revenue. The councils should treat their organisations more like a business and pay heed to budgets and deadlines.
L Fraser, Edinburgh, Scotland

I wouldn't mind these increases if we actually saw any benefit from them in terms of service improvement. However, commercial awareness, and indeed common sense, appears to be sadly lacking in many local authorities. In Edinburgh �70,000 has just been spent on a vehicle mounted laser device for detecting pot holes in the roads. Surely Edinburgh city could have just asked their own staff to report pot holes as part of their responsibilities while carrying out other council business. I'm sure they would get results far more quickly, with wider coverage and at minimal cost.
Dirk, Edinburgh

I think it is an absolute disgrace. I am single and work very hard for what I have. I am seriously thinking about moving out of Glasgow as the council tax is now unaffordable.
Aileen Wilson, Glasgow

There would be no need for council tax rises if someone went and did a detailed analysis of where councils are wasting money, or spending money on things that are non essential, and identified what could be cut from their budgets.
Dougie Birrell, North Queensferry, Fife

So much has been said about the unfairness of the current tax system, but there is very little coming forward in the way of alternatives. How about the American purchase tax system, where there would be a national goods and service tax and a local tax added on top for the services. This would 'tax' the people who have more to spend and would also have the benefit of taking some income from tourists who use the services provided and paid for by the local inhabitants. It would be good to hear some views on this. I think Scotland could well take a lead on this way to pay for our councils.
Murray Welsh, Edinburgh

I pay more than my fair share of tax, I have always worked - very hard! I do that for me and my family - no-one else! I'm not a charity and I'm hacked off at being treated like one. There comes a point when there is no more to give. I'm there and I earn a good salary. Why should I and those like me always be the first port of call when the government needs more money. Because that's exactly what happens when council tax is based on the value of your home. They should be going back to basics and seeing where they can save money. And I don't mean by cutting services, I mean by being more efficient. We have a government that is not accountable and a local government structure that is run by amateurs. What hope really of improvements? We pay too much tax period. Savings are taxed, insurance is taxed, clothing is taxed, fuel is taxed, roads are taxed, entertainment is taxed, the roof over our heads is taxed, the list is quite frankly endless. The point we are all missing is that the money that pays for all of these things has already been taxed!
Denise Ferguson, Falkirk

It goes up every year. I don't know how they can justify such a large increase. My wages haven't changed for the last three years.
Sean Carr, Aberdeen

As a single parent who only receives help from the Working Families Tax Credit, it would be just another bill that mounts up. It's the principle. Maybe the government need to do more to help people as opposed to taking from them.
Nicola Dow, West Lothian, Scotland

As usual the council tax increase is greater than inflation.
Robert, Glasgow

The system requires a fundamental overhaul, the council should learn to cut its cloth to fit its suit.
Kevin , West Lothian

I for one would like to know what my council tax is being spent on, and as to why it needs to go up. After many months on complaining, my local council have still not fixed the dangerously crumbling wall or pavement outside my flat, supplied us with a replacement bin for the one stolen, nor fixed the large open hole by the road nearby. What do we really get out of this?!
Martha, Edinburgh, Scotland

As someone who works in local government I am increasing annoyed at the level of waste and the move away from core services to fund dubious events and initiatives. As an Edinburgh council tax payer I would prefer my council tax to pay for clean streets, improved public transport, investment in education and social services and not to waste on Hogmanay street parties.
Jane, Edinburgh

Council tax up again, review on the way. It's a sham really. The inefficiency and ineptitude of local councils would be funny if it weren't real. That's the heart of the matter, there's no point changing the system until councils are brought up to scratch in efficiency terms, then we'd see increases more in line with inflation. I'd vote for the introduction of a local tax based on ability to pay, not on the value of your property. The poll tax was a fairer system, badly implemented. The irony for me is that Tommy Sheridan, who was jailed over poll tax, is now campaigning for its return in a revised form.
Neil McKinlay, Falkirk, Scotland

My wife and I are both employed in the public sector. Our house has doubled in value in the past five years, however, our salaries have not - thus to base a tax on the value of your property seems inherently unfair. There has been recent talk of rejigging the bands to take account of the housing market boom. In 1998 we bought a house we could afford, in 2004 no honest building society would give us a mortgage to buy the same house at its current value. Property values are only pertinent at the time of purchase and over time do not give a true reflection of a person's ability to pay.
Gavin, Glasgow

I have always believed in paying for services received, but what I don't believe in is paying for other people to use these services without paying. Why isn't there more pressure on people who don't bother paying? These people are making the rest of us look like fools. Mind you, with people in authority bucking the system why should we care?
Mrs A Walker, Glasgow

Every year the tax increases by more than the inflation rates and the quality and amount of services are cut. The increases affect everyone and the honest taxpayer has to cut his cloth etc., whereas the council impose increases which everyone find increasingly difficult to pay. With the house prices rising as they are, and the number of new houses being built especially in my area, you would expect the councils would be rubbing their hands from the extra revenue they must be collecting from these changes alone. How are buyers encouraged to abide by the law and pay this tax, which it is based on rateable values, which the councils and government are soon to embark on a revaluation exercise which will increase the payments even more. Can we not relook at the "households" ability to pay, in line with the concept of the old poll tax.
Bill Cardno, Inverurie, Scotland