Council Tax

[plug]

Aparantly Labour are revalue everyones houses, why? so we will have higher bills, and the Lib Dems are going to scrap the tax and replace it with a tax based on earnings, so in other words a second income tax. Not sure what the Torys are saying but it looks like we are in a no win situation as usuall.

[c4koh]

Apparently the re-evaluation will keep 50% of houses at the same band, move 25% up and 25% down.

Actually, my house is a 3-bed bungalow and is band F; apparently Band F because it was worth £180,000 or so in 1990 on the last evaluation. Funny though, as I only paid £140,000 for it in 2001!!

So I'd welcome a re-evaluation.

[Eric Mc]

Council Tax is Rates by another name. When Rates was the normal method of collecting funds for local government, revaluations of rateable values was undertaking on a regular basis.

These days, governments are really scared to allow councils to set proper rates/council tax values for fear of a popular backlash - a carry over of "poll tax" paranoia.

I have yet hear a Lib Dem explain how they would assess and collect their "Local Income Tax". I wish a canvasser would knock on my door and explain how it would work.

[plug]

I think mine will go up, I paid £49,000 in 2001, I had it valued last July at £140,000.

[Mon Ami Mate]

c4koh said:

Apparently the re-evaluation will keep 50% of houses at the same band, move 25% up and 25% down. Actually, my house is a 3-bed bungalow and is band F; apparently Band F because it was worth £180,000 or so in 1990 on the last evaluation. Funny though, as I only paid £140,000 for it in 2001!! So I'd welcome a re-evaluation.

Meanwhile, in the real world, all the Chavs, long-term sick and unemployed will continue to pay nothing, all the "key" workers' (def. Anybody whose job was advertised exclusively in The Guardian) bills will go down, and we'll all be paying vastly more. Because that's social justice, innit.

Michael Howard has said today that he will drop the re-evaluation if elected. The Conservative manifesto pledges to greatly reduce Council Tax bills by cutting local authority waste and bureaucracy and offering an immediate (and permanent) 50% discount for pensioners.

[Eric Mc]

The Tories crippled local government decades ago. As a result, 75% of all local government has to come from central government funds.

[simpo two]

Labour say the revaluations will be tax-neutral. So why bother spending billions getting everybody upset?

Local income tax is infinitely fairer as it's related to ability to pay. I earn little so would save a fortune if LibDem got in - but I'm still not going to vote for the smug ginger git!

[hut49]

I think the Tories scored a bullseye on this.

Labour was wide open to be nutmegged on this and Tony's "opportunistic" jibe in reply was priceless. As if he wouldn't have done exactly the same given the opportunity of a shot on goal and a goalie with his legs apart!

I nearly threw up over the TV this morning when I saw the dynamic duo squirming together on the GMTV couch. Thank god it wasn't past the watershed they'd have probably gone for a 69er to prove how well they work together!

[Jaglover]

I cant see much wrong with a revaluation as long as it is tax neutral at the LOCAL level, but it wont be.

It will just scr*w people in the south.