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COUNCIL TAX
The problem with any property based tax is that properties don’t pay taxes
* ‘DWELLING HOUSE CODING – AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE’
After months of stalling by government ministers the *guide to inspectors from
the Valuation Office Agency, the quango set up to revalue 21 million homes in the UK, for Council Tax has finally been released under Freedom of Information Act.
Its 4,300 inspectors will have the power to enter any home to take photographs and notes of a number of features that they consider could increase the properties value for taxation purposes. Any house holder who refuses them entry could face heavy fines.
They are told to classify properties according to the ‘architectural style and characteristics’ with no account being taken of its current condition. So if a property is owned by an old couple who have lived there for years and can no longer afford to maintain it, no account should be taken of the fact when allocating its tax banding.
The document contains pictures of well over a 100 different types of homes from the smallest cottage to manor houses, it includes mobile homes and even houseboats.
Features the inspectors are told to look out for include a list of 66 ‘value significant features’.
The list includes: extra parking spaces, swimming pools, large gardens, the number of rooms and bathrooms, central heating, the number of floors, double glazing, conservatories (extra if they are double glazed). Also to be taken into account is location. Is the property in a gated community, close to public transport facilities, close to a golf course, has a sea or countryside view?
It is claimed that the revaluation will not necessarily mean an increase in council tax bills. (Particularly in poor Labour controlled areas).
Tell that to the people of Wales where the scheme was piloted, a large majority of house owners saw their bills go up.
The problem with any property based tax is that properties don’t pay taxes
* ‘DWELLING HOUSE CODING – AN ILLUSTRATED GUIDE’
After months of stalling by government ministers the *guide to inspectors from
the Valuation Office Agency, the quango set up to revalue 21 million homes in the UK, for Council Tax has finally been released under Freedom of Information Act.
Its 4,300 inspectors will have the power to enter any home to take photographs and notes of a number of features that they consider could increase the properties value for taxation purposes. Any house holder who refuses them entry could face heavy fines.
They are told to classify properties according to the ‘architectural style and characteristics’ with no account being taken of its current condition. So if a property is owned by an old couple who have lived there for years and can no longer afford to maintain it, no account should be taken of the fact when allocating its tax banding.
The document contains pictures of well over a 100 different types of homes from the smallest cottage to manor houses, it includes mobile homes and even houseboats.
Features the inspectors are told to look out for include a list of 66 ‘value significant features’.
The list includes: extra parking spaces, swimming pools, large gardens, the number of rooms and bathrooms, central heating, the number of floors, double glazing, conservatories (extra if they are double glazed). Also to be taken into account is location. Is the property in a gated community, close to public transport facilities, close to a golf course, has a sea or countryside view?
It is claimed that the revaluation will not necessarily mean an increase in council tax bills. (Particularly in poor Labour controlled areas).
Tell that to the people of Wales where the scheme was piloted, a large majority of house owners saw their bills go up.
Any property based tax takes no account of ability to pay. My own tax, in Kent, has increased by 120% since Labour took office. If future tax is to be the muted 1% of a properties value my tax is again due to double. This at a time when, through another piece of government legislation, my pension will reduce by 30%. (See Pensions page for details).
I
The average Council Tax increase since New Labour took office is said to be 70%,
so who is benefitting?
For a Band F property in Kent
In 1996-97 the charge was £867.23
In 2005-06 the charge was £1783.00 an increase of 105.6% An average annual increase of 11.73%. The inflation rate over the same period was less than 40%.
For a Band F property in Hull (John Prescott’s Area)
In 1996/97 the charge was £946.53
In 2005/06 the charge was £1650.57 an increase of 74.4%. An average annual increase of 8.26%
Town hall bosses argue that budgetary pressures are forcing them to cut front-line services such as rubbish collection and care for the elderly. At the same time Kent County Council employs 713 middle managers on packages exceeding £50,000 a year.
For a Band F property in Kent
In 1996-
For a Band F property in Hull (John Prescott’s Area)
In 1996/97 the charge was £946.53
In 2005/06 the charge was £1650.57 an increase of 74.4%. An average annual increase of 8.26%
Town hall bosses argue that budgetary pressures are forcing them to cut front-
Act NOW to help stop this scandal.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have issued new powers allowing councils to levy pay-as-you-throw taxes. 27 councils are pilotting a scheme for bar-coding bins that can be read by hand-held devices carried by the refuse collectors. This information can be fed into a central computer so that the councils can send out tax bills ‘education leaflets’ or fines of up to £100 for people who do not obey the new rules.
Salford City Council have issued householders with four differently coloured wheelie bins and employed ‘waste awareness officers’ to help people struggling to decide what waste goes into which bin!
All of this of course is to help householders with recycling - it has nothing to do with increasing revenue. ( Sounds a bit like speed cameras to me).
The fact is, it is all down to the EU and its Landfill Directive of 1999. This proposal has had a more devastating effect on Britain than any other country. Over the years we had developed a well-regulated system of Landfill, enabling efficient waste disposal as well as reclaiming what was derelict land. To meet the requirements of this Directive the government has piled on local authorities and businesses ever increasing taxes for every ton of waste that is dumped in landfill.
In passing responsibilities for waste disposal to Brussels our politicians forfitted the right to determine our own policies, which had worked well, leaving them with no control except to levy ever higher taxes for a service they are no longer able to supply.
Ministers are now proposing to spend £20 million to find ways of persuading families to accept pay-as-you-throw rubbish taxes.
It seems all the lobbying and petitions in the world are not going to persuade the politicians to axe this unfair tax. Is it time for direct action?
It killed the Poll-Tax which was basically fair.
It’s time for the worm to turn. There is no way any government is going to reform local taxation of its own volition. Whilst in no way suggesting we adopt the methods of the Poll Tax rioters, it would be quite possible for all householders to withdraw
co-operation in the collection of council tax.
Cancel all standing orders and only pay the tax monthly on demand, waiting for the final notice, it would only cost the price of a stamp each month. When paying provide only the address of the property with your cheque with none of the council’s reference numbers leaving them to do the work of reconciliation.
I’m sure there a number of other ways to bog the system down, making it totally unworkable, thereby forcing the authorities to think up a fairer means of financing local government, i.e. a local sales tax which everyone would pay therefore spreading the burden to the whole population instead of the unfortunate few.
PROPERTIES DON’T PAY TAXES
Have your say council tax@turning-worm.com
Visit the IsItfair web-site
http://IsItfair.co.uk
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have issued new powers allowing councils to levy pay-
Salford City Council have issued householders with four differently coloured wheelie bins and employed ‘waste awareness officers’ to help people struggling to decide what waste goes into which bin!
All of this of course is to help householders with recycling -
The fact is, it is all down to the EU and its Landfill Directive of 1999. This proposal has had a more devastating effect on Britain than any other country. Over the years we had developed a well-
In passing responsibilities for waste disposal to Brussels our politicians forfitted the right to determine our own policies, which had worked well, leaving them with no control except to levy ever higher taxes for a service they are no longer able to supply.
Ministers are now proposing to spend £20 million to find ways of persuading families to accept pay-
It seems all the lobbying and petitions in the world are not going to persuade the politicians to axe this unfair tax. Is it time for direct action?
It killed the Poll-
It’s time for the worm to turn. There is no way any government is going to reform local taxation of its own volition. Whilst in no way suggesting we adopt the methods of the Poll Tax rioters, it would be quite possible for all householders to withdraw
co-
Cancel all standing orders and only pay the tax monthly on demand, waiting for the final notice, it would only cost the price of a stamp each month. When paying provide only the address of the property with your cheque with none of the council’s reference numbers leaving them to do the work of reconciliation.
I’m sure there a number of other ways to bog the system down, making it totally unworkable, thereby forcing the authorities to think up a fairer means of financing local government, i.e. a local sales tax which everyone would pay therefore spreading the burden to the whole population instead of the unfortunate few.
PROPERTIES DON’T PAY TAXES
Have your say council tax@turning-
Visit the IsItfair web-
http://IsItfair.co.uk
