council tax for armed forces

CIS

Its not irrelevant - under Council tax legislation its still his main residence. If a council gives an extra discount then its at their own discretion.

The payment by the MOD is payment they are making off their own back to assist people in these circumstances, it doesn't affect council tax liability.

Hodgy8403

If his main residence according to the RAF is his room in the block, and he is not in receipt of any allowances ie RPOD or GYH(P) then he should not be considered as living in your house.

If he is paying a reduced rate of accomodation on camp, then that would be different. Best bet for him is to go to his PSF, and they should be able to give him the official guidelines.

debtfreein4years

i think its disgusting that the council wont offer any discounts for forces personel. my dad has been based all over the country and abroad for long periods of time and my mum still has to pay the full whack even when he is out of the country for 8 months plus at a time.

its even worse as 2 of my friends are in the merchent navy and even though they have bought a house together they are somehow eligible for 25% discount which is shocking.

the council need to do more to accomodate our service personel as most are encouraged to purchase houses in the area where they are based therefore freeing up service houseing so the council are actually gaining money that they wouldnt have got from said personel if they hadnt been activly encoureged to settle in the area.

its disgusting the way this country in general treats service personel who are protecting this country and all who reside in its borders!!!!!!

lincroft1710

I understand that armed forces personnel who are on a minimum 6 month tour of duty in places such as Afghanistan or Iraq, who pay Council Tax now receive £140 payment from MOD to offset their CT payment.

Councils have little discretion in the matter of single person discounts, they have to follow the various legislation relating to Council Tax as laid down by Parliament.

System

why should the forces get a reduction their famalies are still at home using the services !i think the op wants her cake + wants to eat it .

Rainbow_Butterfly

Sorry for the late reply.. just wanted to say that Hodgy is correct.

Before getting married my OH lived in his room in the block during the week and at my rented property at weekends/ holidays. I kept my single occupancy discount as his main residence on all his RAF paperwork was his room in the block. He would be paying CILOCT there, which is Contribution In Lieu Of Council Tax.(Basically, the MOD pay the council tax for all the properties they own, the occupants then pay the MOD for it). So he should not be paying council tax for two properties.
As long as his name is not on the mortgage/ tenancy agreement and he does not have his bills etc sent there then I think you are completely right to still claim your discount.

Bernie

...when you do own a house and end up with a second later on. It can protect you from the effects of Capital Gains Tax if you end up with a second house as we did many years later. The CGT clock does not start ticking on your first property until it is no longer your "Main Residence".

Mind you, I greatly sympathise with you getting "caught" in this way. When you see the brazen, bare-faced liars exploiting the tax system, it really grates to see the honest people getting hammered. I regret to say that there a few in our extended family and friends.

We bought our first house in the very early '80's, lived in it a few years during that RAF tour but never actually went back there to live in it. It was rented out while we were abroad or elsewhere in the UK. This continued right up until retirement when we bought another house near my new civvy employment. (Tried to sell the first one, didn't go so ended up with another mortgage - but that's a different story).

We notified the Inland Revenue when our new home became our new "Main Residence" (you have 2 years lattitude). That becomes the point from which CGT liability is calculated. Got a nice letter back from Mr I. Revenue confirming he'd noted the status change.

With the recent drop in house prices and the joint CGT allowances, it's going to be many years before we have to pay this tax.

The changeover to the 18% flat rate looked frightening to us when we couldn't sell the first house, now it's of little concern.

So the "Main Residence" thing works well in some situations.

:beer:

TANZA_2

I understand that if a member of the armed forces only has one base then he/she should pay council tax. However, my son-in-law comes home some weekends and then other times he may have to be on exercise. Also, he has had tours of duty every year for 6 months and as such is occupying neither property. To the person who says the spouse is using services even when living there alone-if she was single she'd be entitled to 25% reduction as she is not using services for 2 people. The allowance for MOD of £140 does not even cover quarter of his council tax so being away fighting for his country is not fully appreciated. Whether or not you believe the wars are justified, he is only doing his job. Regardless of what job you have, if you are not at home for long periods then you should have a reduction in council tax. Otherwise, you are subsidising those people who are receiving services cheaply!

lincroft1710

Council Tax is not a payment for services, it is a tax on the occupation or right of occupation of domestic property. Money raised from council tax helps fund spending by borough/county/parish councils, fire and police authorities. You may not have school age children or use local library, but part of council tax you personally pay will go towards funding education and library service as well as local government workforce salaries and pensions.