Ms Sturgeon insisted the SNP's policy was fully costed

The commitment came as the SNP administration was holding talks with local authority group Cosla on the issue, ahead of next week's budget.

The party's election pledge for a freeze on council tax bills needs the agreement of the 32 local authorities.

Ms Sturgeon, under pressure from opposition MSPs, also insisted the policy was fully costed.

During question time at Holyrood, Tory leader Annabel Goldie demanded to know if the planned freeze was a "government guaranteed pledge" or "a vague aspiration, full of ifs and buts and maybes".

Under the last government council tax went up by 60% Nicola Sturgeon Deputy First Minister

She asked: "Is the SNP pledge fully costed? How is it deliverable by government? In other words how is it guaranteed at all?"

But Ms Sturgeon, standing in for First Minister Alex Salmond, said the government was "determined to freeze council tax".

"Under the last government council tax went up by 60%," she told MSPs.

"I think the people of Scotland have had enough of council tax rises under Labour and the Liberals, that's why they want to see this government freeze council tax."

In exchange for council support for a freeze, Finance Secretary John Swinney is to promise them more money and more freedom to choose how it is spent.

Cutting cloth

Labour public services spokesman Andy Kerr asked for a guarantee that councils were not left out of pocket in meeting SNP policies such as free school meals, smaller class sizes and extra support for carers.

"Or will it be the case that local government is left to pick up the bill for these uncosted, ill-thought through pledges?" he asked.

Ms Sturgeon responded by quoting former Labour first minister Jack McConnell when he said during the election campaign that other services would have to "cut their cloth" to pay for Labour education policies.

"What that would have meant is cuts in health, cuts in police, cuts in social work services for older people and, no doubt, another massive Labour hike in council tax," she said.