Council Tax

[leonk]

You could get rid of every other adult that lives with you

 

Bit extreme

[Builder49]

Bit extreme

 

 

I might be a builder, but can guarantee she isn't under a patio

[Builder49]

Now that's a Win - Win situation

 

 

 

Will be when the car gets collected...

[Zugara]

And you actually believe what the government say

 

 

Stupid

[Leeroy]

I think the cap was around 5% or something, so that sounds very much like a re-banding.

 

I also completely disagree with the way this tax is calculated too (surprise). A house can have 19 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, 6 conservatories, 3 swimming pools and an orangery.

 

Its only got one bin, just the same as everyone else.

 

I bet you have more than one bin, posh people like you ( ) have several bins for various refuse and recycling whereas the average chav just dumps everything into landfill, so saving us all some cash

[Ricey]

........ it makes taking two bins and providing a fire engine that doesnt arrive for 25 minutes pretty bloody expensive.

you don't use the highway then?

 

Isn't that Road Tax?

[Ricey]

Schools arent really a choice, we would struggle to use them at the moment to be fair, what with no kids and all

 

Off that list, we dont have a library (it closed), there arent any parks here (we live in the country), theres no leisure facilities within 10 miles, and those there are are £5 for an hour, Im not really sure how council tax pays for housing, but I certainly dont see any of that, we have to pay to use the village hall/community centre and the local car park, we have to pay to be buried in the cemetary, there arent any public toilets in a 12 mile radius ........ oh, but we do have a war memorial. That could have been erected for a year of my council tax.

 

So I get roads (though council paid for my car to be valeted twice due to crap thrown up from potholes outside my house), waste disposal and tourism for my £3K a year, bargain.

 

Loving the "What does Council Tax pay for? Collecting Council Tax" one though, thats really made me feel better.

 

It just riles me that my brother, who lives less than 10 miles away in a different district, pays less than half of what I do but gets better facilities, I dont feel like we are getting any value

 

 

Fair play..............your getting shafted

[docwra]

........ it makes taking two bins and providing a fire engine that doesnt arrive for 25 minutes pretty bloody expensive.

you don't use the highway then?

 

Isn't that Road Tax?

 

Its actually not road tax, that goes elsewhere. That said I pay the best part of £3K in that as well.

 

As stated, the potholes in the "highway" outside my house were repaired no less than 7 times last year, and about the saem the year before, causing shedloads of tar to coat my car and house and potentially structurally damaging the house too - its a listed building on a bus route and shook every time one came past and went through the potholes.

Ive also noticed my commute to work go up from 25 minutes each way to 45 minutes each way due solely to traffic congestion. So yeah, I do use them but they are crap.

 

EDIT: Ricey's on the money

[Zugara]

Another problem is,

 

You can't take your money elsewhere....

 

If only the whole UK refused to pay these rediculous taxes, what a wonderful thought....."dream on.....

 

How much more can the working person be squeezed for hard earned cash, soon it won't be worth going to work in this country.

 

Why be a leamming? Probably because we have morals and ethics, I dunno but it sure ticks me off.

[RisingPower]

As stated, the potholes in the "highway" outside my house were repaired no less than 7 times last year, and about the saem the year before, causing shedloads of tar to coat my car and house and potentially structurally damaging the house too - its a listed building on a bus route and shook every time one came past and went through the potholes.

Ive also noticed my commute to work go up from 25 minutes each way to 45 minutes each way due solely to traffic congestion. So yeah, I do use them but they are crap.

 

EDIT: Ricey's on the money

 

I think they actually repaired them properly last time, only took about however many previous gos before they got it right

 

They're pretty rubbish about maintaining the roads and gritting anyways.

 

You saw the traffic counter near the lights on the high street? Maybe they'll do something positive for once, maybe even get rid of those stupid lights outside the school which cause huge jams.

 

Waste disposal centres are also a joke.

[Chesterfield]

Are you advocating poll tax Chris?

 

Imho, the only people who had a problem with poll tax, are the people that didn't like the concept of paying for the services they used.

 

Having just looked at our local councils website, our district has a population of some 80,000 people. Yet my council tax makes up 1/10,000th of the total council tax bill. Yep - seems fair to me. Our house of two people clearly must be using the council provided facilities four times as much as others.

 

Is there something fundamentaly wrong with expecting people to pay for what they use?

[RisingPower]

Imho, the only people who had a problem with poll tax, are the people that didn't like the concept of paying for the services they used.

 

Having just looked at our local councils website, our district has a population of some 80,000 people. Yet my council tax makes up 1/10,000th of the total council tax bill. Yep - seems fair to me. Our house of two people clearly must be using the council provided facilities four times as much as others.

 

Is there something fundamentaly wrong with expecting people to pay for what they use?

 

I think there are some exceptions to this, like social services for example.

 

There are some cases where legitimately people couldn't afford, nor expect social services to have to intervene in the first place.

 

Maybe planning because they have more space to plan for?

[sasha@lazytrips]

I very strongly dislike taxes which are collected in inappropriate ways for the purpose for which said taxes are apparently required. Council tax is a perfect example of this. If we are paying for road maintenance, local services such as schools, parks, etc and other services such as bin collections, then how does the size or value of your house have anything to do with the cost of providing any of these services? Surely the only thing that does affect this cost is the number of people living at the address and as such the tax should be based on that factor much like poll tax.

 

If the government feels that the introduction of a mini-mansion tax is appropriate to fund other areas of governmental spending and to reduce the budget deficit by introducing a tax based on the value of any properties you hold, then it would be fair to base this tax on a valuation of your home and/or its size (whether or not such a tax should exist is a separate question and I am completely against it).

 

I firmly believe that the major reason why people are opposed to so many of the UK's taxes is because of the lack of transparency in what these taxes are used for and a completely unfair system through which they are collected. Note that Council Tax is most definitely not the only example. Here are a couple others:

 

1. National Insurance contributions: There is no national pension fund and none of the 'contributions' that you pay through this tax are put aside into any form of a savings instrument. This money is spent as part of the annual budget, on an array of matters. Even the popular argument of this money paying for the currently retired people is absurd as surely the 'contributions' that these people have paid for decades should be paying for their pensions?

 

2. Vehicle Excise Duty: Commonly known as road tax, there has been no link with the roads for over 70 years. The tax collected is based on emissions, yet none of this money is spent on removing the emitted gases from the atmosphere or investing in green technology. In addition, do brand new cars emit twice as much carbon monoxide for exactly 1 year before reverting to a standard emission process?

 

Until the government stops just introducing add-ons to an ancient tax system and puts in a radical shake-up to drag it into the 21st century and explain to people simply what the tax is for and why it is collected in the way it is, not much is going to change in the country's economic situation.

[ATTAK Z]

Are you advocating poll tax Chris?

 

Is there something fundamentaly wrong with expecting people to pay for what they use?

I agree with you, and I'm playing devil's advocate to some extent here ... but don't forget that there were riots when the poll tax was introduced ... we don't want that again

[Chesterfield]

sure - many would spit their dummy out, but they'd get over it after a couple of weeks, just like the rioters in the summer. Eventually it would sink in that going through life just expecting others to pick up the tab isn't on...

[JetSet]

That sounds like a rebranding.

 

The bandings are a right load of crap........weren't they all done in the 60's or something by some surveyors curb crawling round in cars instead of doing a proper assessment (hence why you end up with 4 bed houses in the same tax bands as 2 bed houses).

 

 

I'm pretty sure that the old rateable values were done in the 19th century. My Mum and Dad's house, built around 1880 with 8 bedrooms, 3 acres of land had a lower rateable value than my bungalow, which was built in the 1860's but extended in 1969 when it had its ratings adjusted. Rateable values were thus set in stone for unchanged older properties. A house built in the 1970's would always have a higher rateable value than for example a similar 1940's built house (in the same area) I think the bandings were introduced in the 80's but nobody ever came down here to value the property, or my parents house for that matter. Once the bandings had been decided my parents house came out just one band higher than mine. just ridiculous

 

EDIT, just checked the latest banding on my parents old house and it went up to Band H in 1993

 

 

Pete

[RisingPower]

sure - many would spit their dummy out, but they'd get over it after a couple of weeks, just like the rioters in the summer. Eventually it would sink in that going through life just expecting others to pick up the tab isn't on...

 

I thought the riots were because they wanted everything for free?

 

I really just don't buy it, council tax is a fraction of other taxes we pay to support many lowlifes up to a degree, there are however, many people who don't abuse it and have been put into an unavoidable situation and end up needing it.

 

I wonder whether it would be practical to evaluate whether people could work physically and mentally, then kick them out of their homes and take away their benefits if they were in a suitable shape to apply for a job, but hadn't.

[docwra]

I think they actually repaired them properly last time, only took about however many previous gos before they got it right

 

I know, but at that point I was phoning every fortnight or so. They had paid out for at least 4 cars to be valeted and god knows how many houses to be repainted from the crap that was thrown up too.

I actually ended up getting English Heritage involved as I thought the house was falling down from the buses. It was physically shaking everytime one went past

 

You saw the traffic counter near the lights on the high street? Maybe they'll do something positive for once, maybe even get rid of those stupid lights outside the school which cause huge jams.

 

What, actually sort out the "Road of Death" thats had traffic issues for all of the 25 odd years Ive lived here? Dont be silly, what they want to do is build another 150 houses in Linton without touching the roads. Like they are going to.

Hear your car every day you go through the village BTW, sounding and looking good (you drive right past my bedroom window )

 

I very strongly dislike taxes which are collected in inappropriate ways for the purpose for which said taxes are apparently required.

 

And that is entirely my issue. I get hit for the same CT as a family of 8, despite already contributing more as a high earner, owner of a business but taking less because I dont have kids and live in a place where we are not provided with any facilities to use.

[RisingPower]

I know, but at that point I was phoning every fortnight or so. They had paid out for at least 4 cars to be valeted and god knows how many houses to be repainted from the crap that was thrown up too.

I actually ended up getting English Heritage involved as I thought the house was falling down from the buses. It was physically shaking everytime one went past

 

What, actually sort out the "Road of Death" thats had traffic issues for all of the 25 odd years Ive lived here? Dont be silly, what they want to do is build another 150 houses in Linton without touching the roads. Like they are going to.

Hear your car every day you go through the village BTW, sounding and looking good (you drive right past my bedroom window )

 

I can't help but think buses going up the high street causes big jams and going down that part of the high street.

 

I think it was at the same point they resurfaced the a1307 going into linton from abington, that was fun dodging the massive potholes every day uptil that point

 

Why they can't just stop a bit further down the high street, say near the dog and duck and not go further up the high street, rather than cause big jams joining the A1307 I don't know.

 

"Road of Death", I just love that, the number of times I've seen just utter morons trying to cause accidents, it's not the road to blame, it's the sheer amount of morons who don't understand what a slip road is

 

It needs a bit of a clean and I'd like to at least get the aerosync bumper, but I'm not sure whether I want to spend any more moolah on it currently

[rabbitstew]

If you extend or improve your own property it doesn't normally get rebanded. Where it would get rebanded is if you then sold that house, and then the new occupant could be liable for the increased band fees..

 

Hmmm. Im not sure how it works, but my old house was a great example. It was a massive 1930`s 3 bed semi with a 200ft long garden and enough driveway out front to park around 10 cars on it. It was a Band B for council tax. My neighbours both sides had identical houses to me but had extended their kitchen very very slightly more than mine had been extended. This was all done prior to the current owners moving in. Both my neighbours houses were rated as Band D on the council tax! Go figure!

[Ebized]

If you extend or improve your own property it doesn't normally get rebanded. Where it would get rebanded is if you then sold that house, and then the new occupant could be liable for the increased band fees..

 

Hmmm. Im not sure how it works, but my old house was a great example. It was a massive 1930`s 3 bed semi with a 200ft long garden and enough driveway out front to park around 10 cars on it. It was a Band B for council tax. My neighbours both sides had identical houses to me but had extended their kitchen very very slightly more than mine had been extended. This was all done prior to the current owners moving in. Both my neighbours houses were rated as Band D on the council tax! Go figure!

 

This might help:

http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/Council ... ments.html

[Builder49]

My understanding is if you extend your house but stay then it shouldn't get rebanded... The council might try but I think if you appeal against it then you would win, but the next occupant will get the higher rate once the house has sold !

 

I've extended my house by removing the roof and heightening it, giving myself a complete extra level (basically 50% house increase) plus I've added a very large conservatory. My rates are still in the 'E' bracket, as they were when originally banded when council tax came in.

 

Just in case I have got this wrong and should have gone up in bands, I'm not telling you where I live, then you can't all grass me up !!!!

 

 

Plus as I said, I get 25% off for being the only adult here...... Missed her when she first left, but hey, £600 a year deduction so not all bad

 

(what age women will the ZED attract?????)

[rabbitstew]

If you extend or improve your own property it doesn't normally get rebanded. Where it would get rebanded is if you then sold that house, and then the new occupant could be liable for the increased band fees..

 

Hmmm. Im not sure how it works, but my old house was a great example. It was a massive 1930`s 3 bed semi with a 200ft long garden and enough driveway out front to park around 10 cars on it. It was a Band B for council tax. My neighbours both sides had identical houses to me but had extended their kitchen very very slightly more than mine had been extended. This was all done prior to the current owners moving in. Both my neighbours houses were rated as Band D on the council tax! Go figure!

 

This might help:

http://www.voa.gov.uk/corporate/Council ... ments.html

 

Good link!

 

Basically it says that if you have "improved" your house, when you come to sell it, the council is allowed to review the council tax band for the new owner if they feel like it.

 

So I guess with my old house, when I bought it the council didnt feel inclined to increase it, but when my neighbours with nearly identical extentions bought their`s the council happily jacked their band up 2 notches.