One Person Complains About Council Tax = Council Tax Goes Up For Everyone

[olde guto]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3274446/Fuming-residents-facing-hefty-council-tax-hike.html

Knew this had to happen sooner or later, someone complains about their council tax being too much and instead of it being reduced everyone else's goes up. Bet the person who complained isn't flavour of the day

Living in one of the few bits of the UK where CT bands were adjusted about 10 years ago I have little sympathy (that's another thing the ***** Brown did - cancel postpone the CT revaluation in England).

Edited October 15, 2015 by olde guto

[Guest_northshore_*]

"...raise everyone else on the street's tax by an extra £160 a year ...Pat Garrett, a 72-year-old who has lived on the street for almost 40 years, said: 'As a pensioner, my monthly in-comings aren't going up any time soon and I'll definitely feel the pinch.""

Apart from at least 2.5% on the basic state pension (or new flate rate), about £160 a year.

[worzel]

The article implies the tax only applies to homeowners, or that they are the only people that the rag cares about

[Mrs Bear]

I often wonder how often houses are re-banded. There are so many roads near here where, since CT was introduced, and particularly in the last 10 years, masses of houses have had loft conversions - extra bedroom and bathroom - or big kitchen extensions, or both. What was then a pretty ordinary 3 bed semi has turned into a 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath house with a much bigger downstairs.

Does PP approval for a considerable extension result in automatic adjustment of the CT band once it's done?

[giesahoose]

They should make it 1% of the property value per year.

[jetcat]

They should make it 1% of the property value per year.

1% of LAND value. Unregistered land should be registered or sold at a market rate for productive use.

[PaulParanoia]

They should make it 1% of the property value per year.

That would really hammer a lot of people. Round my way a small 3 bed semi will cost £300,000 and 1% of that would almost triple the current Council Tax to £3,000. That could push a lot of families over the edge.

[porca misèria]

That would really hammer a lot of people. Round my way a small 3 bed semi will cost £300,000 and 1% of that would almost triple the current Council Tax to £3,000. That could push a lot of families over the edge.

The figures aren't up-to-date, but an american colleague mentioned his $5k/year property tax on a $170k house.

It makes for a genuine disincentive to property hoarding and speculation, and keeps their prices much lower than ours. At the same time, the fact the state is collecting property tax means it can charge less tax on other things.

[StainlessSteelCat]

Strikes me as a very unusual case. Normally if you are the odd one out, they will downgrade you to similar for the area. Did that with my place, and while I saved a couple of hundred quid a year, my predecessor got a nice little windfall as it was backdated.

The VOA has no real axe to grind so I can only imagine that the houses on that street were undervalued for similar houses in the same area. Just looking at the houses, Band A seems odd for a street full of what looks like 2/3 BR houses. Even back to backs in West Yorkshire are Band B.

[Guest eight]

Does PP approval for a considerable extension result in automatic adjustment of the CT band once it's done?

Why should it? Do the council turn up the street lighting outside, or the Police lay on extra patrols?

[Frick]

The pictures to the article are kind of iconic of the housing market in this country. All of the street's 'family homes' residents on the picture are 60+... Their children are probably in small flats or HMOs.

[Guest_northshore_*]

Why should it? Do the council turn up the street lighting outside, or the Police lay on extra patrols?

Because if the net result is an increase in land location value, rather than building value, it's a community and infrastructure freeriding windfall gain.

[interestrateripoff]

Council tax is a complete con. Where I live it requires 2 people to be working to pay it. Recently lost my job so now our council tax bill is just under 10% of household income. Fecking ridiculous taxation policy which screws over the low paid.

[Guest_northshore_*]

Sorry about the job but no - taxes on employment, consumption, output and our really high house prices is what screws over the low paid.

The only scenario where council tax might be seen as a con is if you're a private tenant. Where you get to pay property taxes twice - once to the Government and again as an extra location mark up to a landlord. Otherwise you've just bought the nonsense that somehow a council tax bill attached to property requiring direct payment is worse than a much higher income tax/ni bill attached to working and taken at source.