What bills and taxes are going up in April and how much will it cost you?

A host of household bills and taxes are increasing when the new financial year begins in April.

Councils have been setting their budgets and providers adjusting their costs – meaning consumers face paying more.

Rises are often framed as essential due to the rate of inflation or other external pressures.

STV News looks at what is going up and by how much.

Council tax

A Scotland-wide council tax freeze ends in April, and local authorities across Scotland have announced the biggest rate hikes in decades.

The inflation-busting increases will see council tax bills go up by as much as 15.6% – that’s in Falkirk where councillors voted through the most significant rise in the country.

In Orkney, council tax will increase 15%, and eleven other councils announced rises of 10% or more.

Politics

Is your council tax going up and by how much?

A nationwide freeze on the levy ends in April meaning local authorities have made the biggest increases in decades.

Insight Ewan Petrie Political Correspondent

Local authorities across the country have multi-million black holes in their budgets.

Councils argue they have seen a broadly downward trend in the funding they receive from the Scottish Government for more than a decade.

In that time, they have been asked to provide new services to a growing and ageing population.

There has been greater demand for adult social care, support for children with additional needs, housing – services they legally have to provide.

Water bills

Scottish Water announced in January that water bills are set to rise by 9.9%.

It said this means the average monthly household bills for water and wastewater services will increase by £3.68 per month or £44 per year from April 1.

Scottish Water said current infrastructure has been put under “significant pressure” as weather conditions become more extreme, with more periods of both drought and intense rainfall, and more investment is needed.

Energy bills

Energy bills for Scots are to rise by 6.4% when Ofgem increases its price cap.

The increase will raise the average household bill on a standard variable tariff from £1,738 to £1,849 a year.

The rise will equate to £111 for an average household per year, or around £9.25 a month rise.

This is 9.4% or £159 higher than this time last year but £531 or 22% lower than at the height of the energy crisis at the start of 2023.

Car tax

The biggest change to car tax this year will be that electric vehicles are no longer exempt from the charge.

EVs registered between April 2017 and March 2025 will now have to pay the standard rate, which is rising by £5 to £195 a year.

How much more you will pay depends on the type of car you have.

For example, cars emitting between 1 to 50g/km of CO2 will see the first-year tax bill rise to £110.

New cars emitting between 51 to 75g/km of CO2 will see the charge increase from £30 to £135.

All other rates are set to double.

Train fares

Transport Scotland has announced that fares would rise across the ScotRail network by 3.8%.

This means an anytime day return between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley would rise from £31.40 to £32.60.

They confirmed that the current 20% discount on season tickets would continue until September 2025.

Cross-border services are also expected to rise, as the UK Government announced a 4.6% hike that will come into force in March.

The cost of renewing or getting a Railcard, which offers a discount on train fares, will rise by £5 for a one-year or £10 for a three-year card.

Phone, broadband and TV licence fee

Mobile phone tariff rises have been announced. Previously providers were allowed to up your bill by inflation plus 3.9%.

However, last year, Ofcom banned price rises linked to inflation for new contracts starting in January 2025, with any rises having to be spelt out in pounds and pence.

So, how much more you pay will depend on when you took your contract out.

For example, Virgin Media is set to raise prices by 7.9% or £3.50 a month for contracts taken out this year.

The cost of the annual TV license will rise to £174.50 a year, an increase of £5.

Meanwhile, a black-and-white license, which was still used by 3,600 households in 2024, will rise by £1.50 to £58.50.

National insurance

Rachel Reeves raised the rate of national insurance for employers during her Budget from 13.8% to 15% and lowered the salary threshold from £9,100 to £5,000.

This won’t affect your pay packet directly, but it is one reason being blamed for rising prices.

The rise has been criticised, with SNP MSP Maree Todd warning it will cost the social care sector about £84m a year.

Reeves said the rise is part of measures that are needed to fix the nation’s finances.