ALTON council tax payers will have to dig deeper into their pockets to find an extra £57 for the year 2007/08. The figure represents an increase of around 4.4 per cent for the average council tax payer or just over £1 a week. It means the average Band D tax payer will have to stump up a total of £1323.72 when the new council tax year starts. The bills, which are due to land on doormats within the next few days, will be made up of demands from five separate authorities – Hampshire County Council, East Hampshire District Council, Alton Town Council, Hampshire Fire and Rescue and the Hampshire Police. East Hampshire councillors agreed last December to put a complete freeze on their slice of the tax bill, and at full council on February 28 they ratified that decision. This means that EHDC's share of the total tax bill will remain at £127.67. Tax payers will face a rise, largely because HCC, which takes by far the largest slice of the tax cake (72.7 per cent) has opted for a 4.9 per cent increase. This year, Band D tax payers will be forking out around £955.62 for the county's share of the bill. Alton Town councillors have whittled their budget down to a rise of 5.6 per cent, which means they will take £58.99 from the average tax payer ? an increase of around £2.97. Police and fire authorities have had their rises capped by government at 4.9 per cent. Average Band D payers will fork out £125.37 for the Police Authority – a rise of £5.98 – and £56.07 for Hampshire fire and rescue, a rise of £2.61. l The ruling Tories at EHDC have come under fire for their ambitious attempt to freeze the authority's share of council tax. They were accused of using "stealth taxes" to avoid an increase in the precept when the final budget was agreed at a full EHDC council meeting on February 28. The freeze means that the average council tax payer will still pay 35p per day for around 100 EHDC services.