New Labour photographs in YOUR house
Discussion
This from the Telegraph today:
Taxman to snoop in your home
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 15/11/2005)
Council tax inspectors will be able to enter people's homes and take photographs even of their bedrooms, it emerged yesterday.
Whitehall documents reveal that they will be allowed to "obtain factual information from internal inspections" as part of the enormous exercise to revalue 22 million properties in England.
When council tax was set up in 1993, most valuations were done from behind a desk and property inspections were largely external.
Caroline Spelman, the Tories' local government spokesman, said: "Labour's council tax revaluation will mean an army of nosey clipboard inspectors invading people's homes, including their bedrooms.
"The privacy of law-abiding citizens will be ignored because of Labour's compulsion to levy stealth taxes on hard-working families and pensioners."
She said a "Big Brother" database would include new inspection codes that would allow the Valuation Office Agency, an arm of the Inland Revenue, to check which properties had been inspected and the degree to which an internal or external inspection had been recorded.
The disclosure follows the revelation that John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, is planning to charge higher tax on homes with patios, multiple bedrooms, conservatories and scenic views.
The Valuation Office Agency sought the advice of the office of the Surveillance Commissioner on entering homes. The commissioner replied that inspectors taking photographs of properties would not contravene the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act or the Human Rights Act, even though those laws were intended to protect citizens' privacy.
But Miss Spelman said: "Most people will find it offensive that intrusive bureaucrats sent by John Prescott will be taking photographs inside their home to find out the number of their bedrooms and the size of their patio, garage or greenhouse.
"Not only will homes face soaring council tax bills but everyone will pay the price for this Orwellian bureaucracy.
"I am concerned that invasive inspections on such a large scale will place the elderly at risk from conmen pretending to be from the Government. The case for cancelling the unpopular and unwanted tax revaluation has never been stronger."
Conservatives are tabling amendments to the Council Tax Bill to try to remove the powers of the Valuation Office Agency to enter homes.
Miss Spelman said that new "value significance codes" had been expanded in January this year to cover 66 property features, including balconies, proximity to a golf course, conservation areas, gated estates, large garden, large patio, roof terrace, sea views and views of hills or lakes. The Tories say the codes will push many homes into a higher tax bracket.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said it was "ridiculous" to suggest that each of the 22 million properties would be visited.
"There will not be armies of people sticking cameras through your window," a spokesman said.
"The only time a valuer will go out [to see a property] is if you have a peculiar property. It may be - and this will be on only a very few occasions - that you receive a letter asking for a visit."
A spokesman for the valuation agency said it was not possible to forecast how many visits would take place under the new council tax regime.
"If we do not have information relating to a property, we may need to inspect it," he said.
Much of the information relating to people's homes would come from questionnaires and council planning departments.
"Sometimes inspectors may need to be let in, but only in cases where we lack information," the spokesman said. "We will write to arrange a convenient visit.
"At this stage I can't say how many visits will be necessary but it has always been the case that the number of bedrooms and bathrooms has been taken into account when a property is valued."
The Government recently announced that it was postponing the revaluation of council tax bands which would have come into effect in England on April 1, 2007. Instead, it has extended a review by Sir Michael Lyons into the wider functions of local government. His final reports are unlikely to be available until late next year.
One in three homes in England - seven million - had been expected to move up a band in the revaluation. In the South, where prices have soared, bills were expected to rise by at least £270 a year in four out of five towns.
Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, is thought to have been alarmed at the impact on Labour's vote at the next election, by which time he expects to be the prime minister.
Taxman to snoop in your home
By Sarah Womack, Social Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 15/11/2005)
Council tax inspectors will be able to enter people's homes and take photographs even of their bedrooms, it emerged yesterday.
Whitehall documents reveal that they will be allowed to "obtain factual information from internal inspections" as part of the enormous exercise to revalue 22 million properties in England.
When council tax was set up in 1993, most valuations were done from behind a desk and property inspections were largely external.
Caroline Spelman, the Tories' local government spokesman, said: "Labour's council tax revaluation will mean an army of nosey clipboard inspectors invading people's homes, including their bedrooms.
"The privacy of law-abiding citizens will be ignored because of Labour's compulsion to levy stealth taxes on hard-working families and pensioners."
She said a "Big Brother" database would include new inspection codes that would allow the Valuation Office Agency, an arm of the Inland Revenue, to check which properties had been inspected and the degree to which an internal or external inspection had been recorded.
The disclosure follows the revelation that John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, is planning to charge higher tax on homes with patios, multiple bedrooms, conservatories and scenic views.
The Valuation Office Agency sought the advice of the office of the Surveillance Commissioner on entering homes. The commissioner replied that inspectors taking photographs of properties would not contravene the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act or the Human Rights Act, even though those laws were intended to protect citizens' privacy.
But Miss Spelman said: "Most people will find it offensive that intrusive bureaucrats sent by John Prescott will be taking photographs inside their home to find out the number of their bedrooms and the size of their patio, garage or greenhouse.
"Not only will homes face soaring council tax bills but everyone will pay the price for this Orwellian bureaucracy.
"I am concerned that invasive inspections on such a large scale will place the elderly at risk from conmen pretending to be from the Government. The case for cancelling the unpopular and unwanted tax revaluation has never been stronger."
Conservatives are tabling amendments to the Council Tax Bill to try to remove the powers of the Valuation Office Agency to enter homes.
Miss Spelman said that new "value significance codes" had been expanded in January this year to cover 66 property features, including balconies, proximity to a golf course, conservation areas, gated estates, large garden, large patio, roof terrace, sea views and views of hills or lakes. The Tories say the codes will push many homes into a higher tax bracket.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister said it was "ridiculous" to suggest that each of the 22 million properties would be visited.
"There will not be armies of people sticking cameras through your window," a spokesman said.
"The only time a valuer will go out [to see a property] is if you have a peculiar property. It may be - and this will be on only a very few occasions - that you receive a letter asking for a visit."
A spokesman for the valuation agency said it was not possible to forecast how many visits would take place under the new council tax regime.
"If we do not have information relating to a property, we may need to inspect it," he said.
Much of the information relating to people's homes would come from questionnaires and council planning departments.
"Sometimes inspectors may need to be let in, but only in cases where we lack information," the spokesman said. "We will write to arrange a convenient visit.
"At this stage I can't say how many visits will be necessary but it has always been the case that the number of bedrooms and bathrooms has been taken into account when a property is valued."
The Government recently announced that it was postponing the revaluation of council tax bands which would have come into effect in England on April 1, 2007. Instead, it has extended a review by Sir Michael Lyons into the wider functions of local government. His final reports are unlikely to be available until late next year.
One in three homes in England - seven million - had been expected to move up a band in the revaluation. In the South, where prices have soared, bills were expected to rise by at least £270 a year in four out of five towns.
Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, is thought to have been alarmed at the impact on Labour's vote at the next election, by which time he expects to be the prime minister.
So you have a band A house
with a large garden band B
with a large patio band C
with an extension band D
with a tree in the front yard band E
with a field behind your house band F
with a plasma TV band G
with an en-suite band H
with a dining room band I
Going to get expensive quickly
with a large garden band B
with a large patio band C
with an extension band D
with a tree in the front yard band E
with a field behind your house band F
with a plasma TV band G
with an en-suite band H
with a dining room band I
Going to get expensive quickly
motco said:
The disclosure follows the revelation that John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister, is planning to charge higher tax on homes with patios, multiple bedrooms, conservatories and scenic views.
And he wonders why people hate him.
Will you get a discount if you look out onto an unscenic vista.....yeah right!
You know once I get The Sims back up and running im going to put multiple versions of him in a house and tourture them. I could brick one up and let him starve to death, takes a bit of time that one. Brick one into a room with a kitchen but no bed or toilet, make him eat constantly so he wets himself. force one to stay awake constantly, this drives them mental. Get one to jump into a pool then delete the ladder so he cant get out, when he tired he drowns. Ok childish but will make me smile
Forgot the old electrecution while fixing a broken electrical appliance and burnning when the stove catches fire (got to delete the phone so he cant ring the fire bregade)
>> Edited by cotty on Tuesday 15th November 19:29
chris watton said:
So, are we to assume that Labour assumes that it ownes our property then, as they can more or less do what they like??
I expect so ..... and if you say no, you'll probably be arrested under the terrorism act, for suspicion of harbouring a terrorist or relevant materials, and be banged up for 90 days (if it gets through).
Then when you get out, the squatters have moved in, etc, etc, etc .....
K
(Knock Knock)
"Property Valuation Inspection Officer? - of course...come in."
"No, haven't had a visit before..."
"Well, you may want to start with the cellar...its been renovated recently..."
"Ooops - well the stairs haven't, mind you. That was a bit of a tumble...is it bleeding much?"
"Yes....it *is* a bit wet down there....well, yes, flooded in fact.."
"Planning permission?....well, yes, I did put down 'Swimming Pool' on the form...."
"....but you're right....oh do stop screaming....yes, it's more of a shark tank really"
"...I see you've met the occupants."
"Hello....hello? - oh well"
"Property Valuation Inspection Officer? - of course...come in."
"No, haven't had a visit before..."
"Well, you may want to start with the cellar...its been renovated recently..."
"Ooops - well the stairs haven't, mind you. That was a bit of a tumble...is it bleeding much?"
"Yes....it *is* a bit wet down there....well, yes, flooded in fact.."
"Planning permission?....well, yes, I did put down 'Swimming Pool' on the form...."
"....but you're right....oh do stop screaming....yes, it's more of a shark tank really"
"...I see you've met the occupants."
"Hello....hello? - oh well"
bloody hell even the North Koreans aren't that nosey 
If it wasn't for madness like that this would actually be quite a nice place to live.
This is is just open to so much abuse it's unimagineable, all those photos stored in a central database, a thiefs wet dream, hack into it or get a friend on the inside, oh look this guy has lots of great stuff to steal, and look a detailed plan of the house including photos, brilliant. But of course being the government the it will all be 100% completely safe and secure...
If it wasn't for madness like that this would actually be quite a nice place to live.
This is is just open to so much abuse it's unimagineable, all those photos stored in a central database, a thiefs wet dream, hack into it or get a friend on the inside, oh look this guy has lots of great stuff to steal, and look a detailed plan of the house including photos, brilliant. But of course being the government the it will all be 100% completely safe and secure...
R988 said:
bloody hell even the North Koreans aren't that nosey
If it wasn't for madness like that this would actually be quite a nice place to live.
This is is just open to so much abuse it's unimagineable, all those photos stored in a central database, a thiefs wet dream, hack into it or get a friend on the inside, oh look this guy has lots of great stuff to steal, and look a detailed plan of the house including photos, brilliant. But of course being the government the it will all be 100% completely safe and secure...
Until the ever more greedy and immoral government sell off the info to the highest bidder!
(seems like a joke, but I wouldn't put anything past this lot!)
R988 said:
This is is just open to so much abuse it's unimagineable, all those photos stored in a central database, a thiefs wet dream, hack into it or get a friend on the inside, oh look this guy has lots of great stuff to steal, and look a detailed plan of the house including photos, brilliant. But of course being the government the it will all be 100% completely safe and secure...
"Hello I'm a council inspector, honest I am. Now let me in and photograph what you have, my mates down the pu- er I mean council offices are very interested in what you have in your house."
james_j said:
No one will ever be in to let some clipboard-wielding nasal government official nose around my property. Ever. Truly. The End.
You won't be selling your house anytime soon then? When the new home sale packs come in, these will have to have a survey report attached, prepared by a government approved inspector. The reports will be registered centrally. Sooner or later the cnuts are going to get information about every house in the UK one way or another.
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