The latest round up of news and events includes:
Unfairness
Local Elections
Wrong banding
New Unitary Councils
MP Expenses
Read more...
MP expenses and reform. Desperate to save themselves and restore public trust
in them, root and branch reform of the expenses system is now at the top of their agenda.
Knowing that a system is fundamentally wrong and open to abuse should always result in
reform. Yet when it comes to council tax, our politicians shy away from it. MPs
have known since 2005 that hundreds of thousands of properties are in the wrong council
tax band and are being overcharged. Their response is to do nothing. It
is OK to rip off the taxpayer one way or the other.
Read more...
Should the council tax payer have to pay for any losses incurred by local authorities?
We don't think so but some so called "experts" think that we should. Who are
these people? Why should the council tax payer be expected to pay more?
Please read our special newsletter
here
and then please take a few minutes to complete our
online survey.
We want to know your views on this subject.
We already pay two taxes for rubbish. Council tax includes the collection costs
and includes the cost of landfill tax for non recyclable rubbish. If the rubbish tax
is implemented, then we will be paying twice for non recyclable rubbish - the rubbish tax
and the landfill tax, Both of these taxes cover the same item.
We want to know your views on this subject. please take a few minutes to complete our
Rubbish Tax Survey
25 May 2009
Hundreds of thousands of properties are still in the wrong council tax band despite
this problem being known about since at least 2005. This cover up was originally
reported in February 2008:
Is your property in the wrong band? Up to 400,000 properties are possibly affected. This has been known about since 2005 but Ministers decided to do nothing. Read more...
New documents have shown that more than 700,000 households may have been overcharged to the tune of tens of millions. Yet again, council tax payers continue to be ripped off by this thoroughly discredited taxation system:
700,000 overcharged in the great council tax 'cover-up' Read more...
Knowingly overcharging council tax payers is surely theft? The current revelations
about MP's expenses shows that this is a particular area of expertise for many of them.
Ripping off the tax payer one way or the other seems to be of no concern to them. If
these 700,000 properties were being under charged would they still turn a blind eye?
Here's another example of systemic over-charging in
Redditch.
Oh, and another from
Pendle.
The council tax system is a thoroughly rotten system of taxation. It was rushed
through as a replacement for the poll tax, another disastrous system. The system
was not properly 'thought through' and its weaknesses have been ruthlessly exploited
by Gordon Brown ever since Labour came to power in 1997.
The principle of the system is that the value of the property you happen to live in
reflects your ability to pay the tax amount levied. This is complete and utter
nonsense, the arguments of which are well documented. Council tax has to be paid from
whatever means of income you may have. It does not take into account your ability to
pay that tax from whatever means of income you may have.
The amount raised by each local authority does not bear any relationship to the amount
of their budget that they are free to decide. For example, a local authority
may raise 45% of its annual income via council tax but only have total discretion over
say 6% of its budget. This is a very high price to pay for local democracy.
The Government has no intention of changing the system to make it fair or equitable.
The annual tax amount is now £25bn. Each year this amount increases and
with it the problem becomes even harder to resolve. The politicians of Government
simply do not have the strength of character required to address this problem. Government
cynically blames the local authorities for the year on year inflation busting increases.
However, it is Central Government that is responsible for these increases through
their manipulation of the grant system and unfunded additional responsibilities imposed on
local authorities.
We need a new system of local taxation that is fair to all. It is possible
and many countries have such a system. Until this new system is implemented, we
call for the current system to be scrapped. Everyone in the UK benefits from local
services one way or another. Therefore, we believe that one possible short term
solution is to raise IT and VAT* to cover the cost of council tax until a new, fair
system has been implemented. Everyone will make a contribution and that contribution
will be based on their ability to pay.
* See
Local Authority Funding - A Fairer Tax Raising system (29 pages)
or
Local Authority Funding - Summary Report (6 pages)
Over the years, Isitfair has met with all of the three main political parties
and has put forward alternative suggestions for council tax. We also actively
participated in the Lyons Inquiry. However, nothing has changed and that is why we
now believe that 'the politicians simply do not have the strength of character
required to address this problem.'
We therefore urge everyone who believes that the current system is unfair to write to
their MP asking them to take up the cause. After all, MPs are supposed to represent
their constituents’ views, aren't they? Perhaps after the next general election we
will have some new MPs who aren't afraid to tackle this problem.
Check your council tax band - find out how to appeal. Click here
Council write off millions in bad debt
Taxpayers outrage at West Sussex council fat cats
Tax protester prepared to go to prison
Stop town hall political newspapers paid for by council tax, MP urges
MPs' expenses: MPs made inflated council tax claims
Families pay £720 more in council tax as bills rise 105% since Labour came to power
Council tax keeps on creeping up
100 ways to cut council tax by Harry Phibbs
Revaluation contract renewed. Will Labour carry out a revaluation if they win the next election?.
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