Death and taxes are the two sure things in life. Here in mid Wales, you can easily add ‘tax increases in Ceredigion will be above average’ to that common adage.

We take no pleasure in writing that sentence, just as few — if any — taxpayers in the county will take pleasure from readily putting their hands deeper into their pockets to find an extra 7.3 per cent for house taxes for the next financial year.

What makes this 7.3 per cent tax increase in Ceredigion all the more unpalatable is that it is one of the highest in Wales and exceeds the rates of increase in neighbouring local authorities.

Taxpayers in Carmarthenshire will be paying 6.8 per cent more; those in Powys will pay 5 per cent more, and those who live in Gwynedd will be paying and extra 4.95 per cent — a rate of increase that falls in the bottom third of rises across the 22 local authorities in our nation.

Why is then that the rate of tax increases in Ceredigion exceed our neighbours?

If officials at the headquarters in Aberaeron are reading this — they could very well be working from home, who knows? — they might point to the rural nature of the county.

But then none of Powys, Gwynedd or Carmarthenshire are blessed with great populised centres either.

Sure, it costs more to heat and light buildings. But those utility costs haven’t just gone up in Ceredigion. All local authorities generally face the same level of increases. But at least there are workers in those council offices when the lighting and heating is on.

The increases to insurances and every other item on the spreadsheets at our councils have all headed north. But it seems that Ceredigion can’t get its numbers to work as well as in neighbouring councils.

All of our councils face the same pressures and common denominators. And all face the same higher salaries for councillors — don’t think we’ve forgotten they’re all in line for 4.6 per cent this month.

But Ceredigion tops the bill when it comes to passing on higher taxes. Why is that?

Is it because the people running the council are inept? Is it because they can’t manage their resources? Is it because they’re paying too much money on outside consultants? On empty buildings? A combination of these?

Taxpayers would sure love some straight answers.