LEADING academics have called for wealthy Scots living in bigger homes to pay more council tax, in an attempt to ease the impact of the planned bedroom tax on thousands of vulnerable households.

The group, which provides expertise in housing and social work, told the Scottish Government that the system needs a shake-up to resolve inequalities that currently mean the resident of a £212,000 property pays the same local authority charges as someone who lives in a £1 million mansion.

Dr Sarah Glynn, of the Centre for Housing Research at St Andrews University, and 16 other academics wrote to Housing Minister Margaret Burgess saying it would be a better way of tackling the UK Government's controversial bedroom tax.

They claimed the policy will have far-reaching financial and social consequences, saying it could leave 100,000 families in Scotland £40 to £80 worse off a month in benefits if they are deemed to have a spare bedroom in their council or housing association home.

Their letter, published in today's Herald, warns: "We realise this is asking for more government expenditure, as it would be wrong to take the money from other public services.

"We suggest that it be paid for by a modest increase in the top rates of council tax, and that the Scottish Government work with local authorities to deliver this."

All homes worth more than £212,000 share the same top band for council tax, a figure which has remained unchanged since the original valuations in 1991.

Eight council tax bands start at properties worth up to £27,000 and progress to a top band of properties valued at more than £212,000.

The SNP has pitched its electoral proposals on freezing the tax, while dropping promised plans for a local income tax.

The result is a council tax system skewed in favour of those in more valuable properties at a time when benefit changes are hurting others at the bottom.

The academics – who include Dr Gerry Mooney, senior lecturer in social policy, at the Open University, Dr Tom Slater, senior lecturer in human geography at Edinburgh and Dr John Bone, head of sociology at Aberdeen – added: "We believe it is a much more humane – and also economically responsible – choice to spend this money now and avert much unnecessary suffering than to wait and spend much more next year to try to repair the social and economic damage that this suffering will cause."

They said the bedroom tax would break up established communities, making it difficult for families to put down roots.

It would, they say, also prevent estranged parents from helping to bring up their children and restrict the amount of help that can be given by grandparents.

They argue it will mean the needs of disabled people will be reflected in demands on other budgets.

But the academics admit they do not have the expertise to place a figure on how much the council tax should rise for high end homes.

Shelter Scotland director Graeme Brown said: "This response further illustrates the depth of anxiety felt across the housing sector about the drastic impact the bedroom tax is set to have on some of Scotland's most vulnerable people.

"We share their concerns and urge the Scottish Government to look at all innovative solutions to mitigate the impact of the bedroom tax – sooner rather than later – so that the more than 100,000 households in Scotland affected do not have to live in fear of the consequences."

SNP MSP Jamie Hepburn, deputy convener of the Welfare Reform Committee, said: "The SNP have made a firm commitment to scrap the bedroom tax in an independent Scotland.

"Labour is terrified of saying anything substantial on welfare because they know that the only way Scotland can get the welfare system that people here want is with the powers of an independent Scotland."

A Scottish Government spokesman said it was attempting to mitigate the worst effects of the bedroom tax, but added: "Raising council tax would simply mean robbing Peter to pay Paul.

"This Government has fully funded the council tax freeze for the last six years and is committed to continuing the freeze for the lifetime of this parliament. In the current economic downturn, it has provided hard-pressed households across Scotland with much needed relief."

In England, Labour has pledged to introduce a tax on high-value homes, known as the "mansion tax", with the money raised to be spent on cutting income tax for lowest paid workers.