Council tax bills are expected to rise by about 5%

Last year SSP leader Tommy Sheridan put forward a member's bill at Holyrood proposing to replace the system with an income-based alternative.

The party plans to hold a demonstration in Glasgow in April, and will also launch a petition and a website.

Mr Sheridan said: "We will take to the streets in our thousands to scrap the unfair council tax."

Scotland's local authorities are set to announce their council tax charges for the coming year on 12 February.

A survey for BBC Radio Scotland's Sunday Live programme found that the average rise was expected to be about 5%.

PROJECTED COUNCIL TAX INCREASES Aberdeen - 6-7% Aberdeenshire - 5% Angus - Not available (N/A) Argyll and Bute - 2.9% Clackmannanshire - N/A Dumfries and Galloway - 4.9% Dundee - 5% East Ayrshire - 4.9% East Dunbartonshire - 5.6% East Lothian - 5% East Renfrewshire - 5% Edinburgh - 4% Falkirk - 5% Fife - 3.5% Glasgow - 4% Highland - 5.1% Inverclyde - 5% Midlothian - 5% Moray - 15% North Ayrshire - N/A North Lanarkshire - N/A Orkney - 4.5% Perth and Kinross - 4.5% Renfrewshire - 5% Scottish Borders - 5.4% Shetland - 7.2% South Ayrshire - 5% South Lanarkshire - 3.8% Stirling - 4% West Dunbartonshire - 3% West Lothian - 4.5% Western Isles - 5%

The increases will range from 2.9% in Argyll and Clyde to 15% in Moray, where such a rise would fund roads maintenance and flood prevention schemes.

Finance Minister Andy Kerr said he saw no reason why any council would have to increase their tax by such a level.

"I hope that the average rate of increase is going to be 5%," he told Sunday Live.

"Anything excessively over that I have grave concerns about - but let's see what Thursday brings."

The SSP will launch its Scrap the Council Tax campaign on Tuesday.

Mr Sheridan said: "We are determined to overthrow the unfair Tory council tax.

"The pensioners and ordinary workers of Scotland are hammered by this Tory tax while the well paid and wealthy pay a pittance.

"A nationwide rebellion is required."

A petition calling for the abolition of the tax has already been launched north of the border by Scottish Action Against Council Tax.

Finance review

Help the Aged is also planning a petition, seeking the support of pensioners' groups as it calls for the creation of an expert body to examine the fairness of the existing system and look at the viability of replacements.

The council tax is among the issues which will be considered by the Scottish Executive's review of local government finance.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has argued against the scrapping of the tax.