Should council tax be abolished? Thirteen Labour MPs think so. They’re certainly right to shine a spotlight on it, as council tax – for better or worse – is the source of some fascinating data.

When I taught public affairs, it was one of my favourite topics to teach, because it was simply guaranteed to get people talking – for starters because any classroom of young adults is bound to contain several who are furious at the concept of paying any sort of tax at all, and probably a few more too who erroneously believe they should qualify for some sort of discount from it.

Getting into the details was fun too. I always enjoyed watching jaws hit the floor when I told them valuations were based on what your property would have been worth if it had been sold on 1 April 1991, and indeed when I told them you could get an exemption for being a member of a religious order.

Then I’d show them my favourite graph – the first one under ‘Households – all taxes’ here – which is a beautifully clear illustration of the difference between progressive and regressive taxation. That graph, as you’ll see, is from 2022/23, so here’s an updated version with more recent figures.