Council tax - right for councils to charge in advance

CIS

I think if you pay by any other method than DD you pay 12 months and get 2 months where no payment is required.

Thats up to the individual council - the stautory payments are 10 instalments from April to Jan but the council have some powers to vary this.

McKneff

Since about the year 2000 my husband became disabled and i started to pay 12 payments as it was much easier to budget for on the income that we had, still do.

you just have to ask

cavim

McKneff wrote: »

Since about the year 2000 my husband became disabled and i started to pay 12 payments as it was much easier to budget for on the income that we had, still do.

you just have to ask

Many thanks for that. The standard here, even for DD payments, is 10 payments April to Jan inc so I'll see if I can pay by DD in 12 payments. There can't be many people who can afford to pay all of their Council tax in one instalment a year in advance - bad enough in instalments!

dmg24

If you go swimming, you expect to pay before you swim.

If you go to a football match, you expect to pay before you watch the match.

Why do you expect to be able to pay your CT in arrears?

Freddie_Snowbits

In days of yaw, Old Freddie, used to wait for the summons notices to be placed on the buses prioir to paying on nthe last day. The queue at the council offices used to go round the corner, watching them all count our pennies.

wealdroam

dmg24 wrote: »

If you go swimming, you expect to pay before you swim.

If you go to a football match, you expect to pay before you watch the match.

Why do you expect to be able to pay your CT in arrears?

I think the OP is planning to change those things too...

cavim wrote: »

It's the principle of having to pay up front for services we haven't already received. I have a business and would love to charge people for services they've not yet had but wouldn't be able to do it (though I suppose a lot of builders do it, but we're all being told not to pay up front for services we haven't received when it comes to builders ....!!).

cavim wrote: »

Just because Council Tax (and car or home insurance for that matter) has been paid a year in advance in the past shouldn't mean it always has to be paid that way. There'd be no change if we didn't question the way things work.

Esqui

I quite like the feeling of paying the last instalment in January and thinking "Yay! Two months of no council tax bill!". It's nice.

unholyangel

Esqui wrote: »

I quite like the feeling of paying the last instalment in January and thinking "Yay! Two months of no council tax bill!". It's nice.

Handy i suppose if xmas was expensive. Or gives you time to save up for something else!

landsberger64

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

Or more importantly, how would the council fat cats ensure that their pension accounts were topped up before the money ran out?

Which council fat cats are they ? The VAST majority - I mean 80% of Council staff are paid less than the average wage in the UK (about £25,000). Just because the Daily Heil or Express tells you we all earn megabucks and have a fantastic pension, doesn't mean it's true. The average local government pension ? A massive £4,400pa.

dmg24

landsberger64 wrote: »

Which council fat cats are they ? The VAST majority - I mean 80% of Council staff are paid less than the average wage in the UK (about £25,000). Just because the Daily Heil or Express tells you we all earn megabucks and have a fantastic pension, doesn't mean it's true. The average local government pension ? A massive £4,400pa.

The phrase fat cats tends to refer to those in senior management, who will be earning far more than £25,000 pa.