Council Tax - whats yours and do you think it a good system?

abaxas

beecher2 wrote: »

As for the poll tax, what's fair about someone who lives in a mansion paying the same as someone who lives in a 1 bed flat? Not that council tax is fair - we should have local income tax.

But via that logic, people in larget houses should pay more for everything at the supermarket.

Why should someone who uses more pay the same as someone who uses less?

Ahhh yes.... socialism at work again

JanCee

Band F £1975 - I thought it was expensive but compared to what others are paying it doesn't seem too bad now.

Really2

beecher2 wrote: »

As for the poll tax, what's fair about someone who lives in a mansion paying the same as someone who lives in a 1 bed flat? Not that council tax is fair - we should have local income tax.

Because council tax is for services (well it is dressed up as that) As per your post (but with council tax).

2 X millionaires
1 Lives in a 1 bed flat with £1M in the bank
1 Lives in a 5 Bed house With £1M in the bank.

Both produce the same rubbish and use the same services.
Why should 1 be charged more just based on having a different property seeing as the charge is for service?

RobertoMoir

beecher2 wrote: »

As for the poll tax, what's fair about someone who lives in a mansion paying the same as someone who lives in a 1 bed flat?

It's not as simple as that. God knows I don't think the poll tax was a good idea but...

If you accept that the tax is related to how much council resources you use, waste for example, then won't 2 parents + a kid living in a 2 bedroom flat, for example, generate more waste than I do by myself in a 3 bedroom house? So a tax based on number of adults in a house seems fairer in that sense at least.

beecher2 wrote: »

Not that council tax is fair - we should have local income tax.

Quite.

mitchaa

Welsh_Totster wrote: »

Band D here and just had this years CT bill through and its £953.94 for the year for a 4 bed semi.

I remember the poll tax, I was 18 when it got brought in so had to pay it too. I lived at home then and I remember collectively we paid less as a family under the poll tax system than we did with the old rates system. Doesnt mean it was right or fairer though.

I think that what we have now in the CT is ok, if I chose to live in a 4 bed house and theres just me and the husband then thats up to us, we pay the CT for it as its our choice not to live in a 2 bed with a lower banding. No matter what system is in place it wont please everyone, so I dont know what the answer is!

Band D £953?

Where abouts in the country are you? I guess somewhere in Wales linking your username.

mitchaa

beecher2 wrote: »

No our sewerage and water rates are added onto our council tax and we pay them to our local council as Scottish Water is not privatised.

It is 1 council tax payment though, we do not have to pay seperate water rates like those down south do.

It all amounts to the same thing though.

beecher2

Really2 wrote: »

Because council tax is for services (well it is dressed up as that)

It shouldn't be for services used - it should be for services provided by the council, regardless of use. We should pay according to what we earn, not what services we happen to use.

beecher2

mitchaa wrote: »

It is 1 council tax payment though, we do not have to pay seperate water rates like those down south do.

It all amounts to the same thing though.

The council tax payment is made up of 3 separate bills - whoever I replied to seemed to think we got water and sewerage free.

ukcarper

abaxas wrote: »

But via that logic, people in larget houses should pay more for everything at the supermarket.

Why should someone who uses more pay the same as someone who uses less?

Ahhh yes.... socialism at work again

But we don’t all use the same services so why should a childless couple pay less the same as someone with 5 kids why should someone who uses the library pay the same as someone who doesn’t and on & on & on

lady_wolfs_head

drc wrote: »

Band C, Haringey, £1330 per year (approx). It hasn't gone up this year as the Lib Dems fought against it. No doubt it will rise significantly next year to make up for it.

I think council tax is a waste of money. It has doubled in 10 years so what could be done efficiently ten years ago suddenly needs so much more money with no obvious improvement of services. At least a quarter of it goes solely to pay for council workers pensions and incompetent social workers so I am none to pleased. I haven't really seen anything worthwhile done in our area. We have our communal bins collected once a week but not much else. They have improved areas like Wood Green which is much cleaner and less run down than it used to be but it would be nice to have council tax spent across the spectrum, not just in those 'deprived' areas. I'd rather just pay for the services I use.

I lived in muswell hill for too long, I agree with you and feel sorry that you are in Haringey, I am so glad I got out, they are the most inept borough in London.