Council tax question
Discussion
I need some help as im a bit confused. I though that we paid council tax to pay for local services as it says here http://www.bromley.gov.uk/council/tax/aguide_council_tax.htm
I assumed that they costed everything out and said we need X amount of money this year and taxed you accordingly.
Now as I understand it they want to raise the amount of tax I pay because my house has gone up in value.????. The services have not just jumped up in cost so where is the extra money going to go.
I don’t have the equity in my pocket its tied up in the house, so where is the extra money supposed to come from.
I assumed that they costed everything out and said we need X amount of money this year and taxed you accordingly.
Now as I understand it they want to raise the amount of tax I pay because my house has gone up in value.????. The services have not just jumped up in cost so where is the extra money going to go.
I don’t have the equity in my pocket its tied up in the house, so where is the extra money supposed to come from.
cotty said:
Now as I understand it they want to raise the amount of tax I pay because my house has gone up in value.????
I thought revaluation had just been scrapped. Anyway, the theory, according to one-dimensional socialists, is that if your house is worth lots, you must be rich, so they can tax you more. Until you are poor.
Local income tax makes much more sense.
JagLover said:
Local income tax makes much more sense.
No it doesn't for that penalises the young and others who have not moved up the housing ladder, or even got on it.
I was thinking of 'ability to pay'. People use council-run facilities even if they don't own a house.
simpo two said:
simpo two said:
Local income tax makes much more sense.
No it doesn't for that penalises the young and others who have not moved up the housing ladder, or even got on it.
I was thinking of 'ability to pay'. People use council-run facilities even if they don't own a house.
We already have national taxes that are based on income, what is wrong with the principle of local taxes based on where you live?
The problem with council tax is not the system, but that too much of the burden of government spending has been placed on it.
JagLover said:
We already have national taxes that are based on income, what is wrong with the principle of local taxes based on where you live?
Because the taxes are not based on the cost of services which they claim to be paying for, they are based on your house price which could indirectly be linked to your income. ie someone with a bigger house will probably have a bigger income.
cotty said:
I need some help as im a bit confused. I though that we paid council tax to pay for local services as it says here www.bromley.gov.uk/council/tax/aguide_council_tax.htm
I assumed that they costed everything out and said we need X amount of money this year and taxed you accordingly.
Now as I understand it they want to raise the amount of tax I pay because my house has gone up in value.????. The services have not just jumped up in cost so where is the extra money going to go.
I don’t have the equity in my pocket its tied up in the house, so where is the extra money supposed to come from.
Firstly as already stated the planned Council Tax revaluation has just been postponed. So you only have to worry if you have recently bought your house and it has been extended since it was first banded. Basically if a property has been extended the Band cannot be altered until a relevant transaction occurs so you buy a house thinking its banding is a bonus, only fo the VO to change it later!
Secondly the Council Tax only provides a relatively small amount of a local authorities expenditure much more of it comes from central government. Central Government get the money from Business Rates, income tax etc.
In theory what should happen is that the local authority collect £x from te Council Tax, following a revaluation they should get £x plus inflation. As a result of the revaluation some properties should go up a band or more, some go down a band or more but on average a bill should only go up by the amount of inflation. However it is more complex because the bands are set nationally and the amount you pay varies according to Band. I believe the Standard Band is Band C and the other bands relate to that. I cannot find at the moment how each band is factored but if you look at www.wealden.gov.uk/Council/Council_Tax_and_Finance/Council_Tax/How_Much/Crowborough.aspx it tells you exactly how much a property in each Band pays and where it goes to.
The obvious point is that it may pay for a number of local authorities in this case 3 and the Police and Fire services as well.
If we actually paid the costs of our ow local authorities police etc solely through the Council Tax the Council Tax would be much higher, but other taxation would be lower (the latter bit in theory)!
:Cotty said:
The services have not just jumped up in cost so where is the extra money going to go.
Things the actually spend the money on.
1. Holidays to exotic places (sorry fact finding missions) for councillors.
2. Councillors expenses.
3. Re-decorating the council offices.
4. Traffic calming measures.
5. Noise pollution officers.
6. Traffic wardens and processing the tickets they issue.
Things they are supposed to spend the money on.
1. Services for the people.
chrisgr31 said:
In theory what should happen is that the local authority collect £x from te Council Tax, following a revaluation they should get £x plus inflation. As a result of the revaluation some properties should go up a band or more, some go down a band or more but on average a bill should only go up by the amount of inflation. !
I dont call a £500 increase in line with inflation just because my property has tripled in value in 10 years
cotty said:
We already have national taxes that are based on income, what is wrong with the principle of local taxes based on where you live?
Because the taxes are not based on the cost of services which they claim to be paying for, they are based on your house price which could indirectly be linked to your income. ie someone with a bigger house will probably have a bigger income.
This doesn't always apply - many retired people have relatively large houses and small income.
But the issue here regarding both local and national taxes is surely that of how efficiently the money is spent.
Both Councils and Central Government seem to waste large sums of taxpayers money on quangoes, consultants and schemes designed to benefit the politcal party in power rather than the taxpayer. And thats without the money we pay the EU to build nice roads and infrastructure in Spain, Ireland etc whilst we suffer here or give to an African state so the dictator / leader can buy a new fleet of Mercs or a Jet.
Waste needs to be resolved before altering the Council Tax and a policy of the "UK first" enacted when planning spending.
Anyway I'm off to piss onto the wind.....
Somebody said "I was thinking of 'ability to pay'. People use council-run facilities even if they don't own a house."
Bum to that, ability to pay!! Why should I, hard worker, paid my mortgage off early, saved my cash, no credit, always managed my money properly, pay more 'because I can', than the dole claiming scrotes at the other end of the village, who cant be bothered to get off their lardy 'Mcdonads filled' arses and got to work?
The only fair system? Poll tax. Maggie had it right. Two adults in a house, 2 X Poll tax. Four in the house? 4 X Poll tax.
You know I'm right, bring back Maggie!!
Bum to that, ability to pay!! Why should I, hard worker, paid my mortgage off early, saved my cash, no credit, always managed my money properly, pay more 'because I can', than the dole claiming scrotes at the other end of the village, who cant be bothered to get off their lardy 'Mcdonads filled' arses and got to work?
The only fair system? Poll tax. Maggie had it right. Two adults in a house, 2 X Poll tax. Four in the house? 4 X Poll tax.
You know I'm right, bring back Maggie!!
Someone's gotta pay for the ever increasing army of benefits cheats, and that's us, Labour treat decent, hard working folk like us with utter contempt, and rely heabily on the dole scum's envy of us actally having the audacity to have more than them!
Another scary thought, I just heard on the news that Labour could be in power until 2010!!!
Another scary thought, I just heard on the news that Labour could be in power until 2010!!!
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