Homeowners about to be screwed again

Murphy_The_Cat

The government is just about to start revalueing every property in England with a view to making sure that it's value is properly related to it's council tax band.
The new tax bands will take place in April 2007
The Welsh have already been revalued and will be getting new bills from April 2005.
No mention of Scotland though

Houses that are going to be particularly affected (meaning screwed) are ones which have been improved or extended.

Any guesses as to which way YOUR council tax is going to go


for further details see http://www.voa.gov.uk/

With an election just around the corner, it may be a good idea to ask the politician on your doorstep, why am I going to get penalised for improving my house ?

MTC :rolleyes:

p.s. i forgot the really funny bit. Phony Tony and his merry gang of thieves have said that "revaluation should not lead to a change in the overall council tax yield" (and that the moon is made of cheese - sorry, i made up that bit, but it's more likely to be true than the first sentence).

dippy

If there is going to be further falls in house prices, it'd be a good idea for the fall to happen before the revaluation. Imagine a revaluation, higher council taxes, then a significant fall. Reduced house prices + higher council taxes won't make for a happy mixture. Worse still, new buyers would be faced with both negative equity and higher council tax.

flea72

i dont know how the banding levels were worked out originally - but will the band only change if the property has been modified, or can they change your band, if the area you live in, has now become more desirable, and therefore reflects in current house prices?

for eg. are all 2up 2downs put on the same banding, regardless of location in the borough?

Plasticman

It will apply if the value has increased due to modification or general rise in the area. The Lyons Review is also looking at the local government funding. Seems like a convenient time for a sneaky tax increase (or maybe I'm just being cynical).

dippy

Sneaky tax? Banish the thought. Not when Gordon Brown is building up deficit. At least, not before the election

theGrinch

they might stop when the pips squeak...but dont but on it.

I really cant believe how tolerable we are to these intolerable rises. Anyway, I thought the council tax was a comparable tax so if house prices rise generally, no one is better or worse off and the tax burden is unchanged.

If I am mistaken and this gives them the chance to use the 1990 values to drag prices into higher bands or they do not fully index the bands them you know what to do.....vote brown and blair out!

Spendless

Not being a home-owner last time. How did they work out the values? Looking at a street? Or looking at the different types of houses? And from the inside or the outside?

I know several people who have extended over their drive adding more bedrooms to their property. Are they meant to inform the council then? Or do they carry on paying the same band as before?

Band A was for properties upto £40,000, surely this would be increased under a review?

deefadog

Our Bungalow band here in Wales was recently changed! But for once it went from Band D to Band C! With the usuall increase i am gestimating it will work out around the same as we were paying last year!

Midas

How suprising that the results of the 'revaluation' (i.e. increase) aren't going to be announced until after the general election... :rolleyes:

Midas

And they wonder why people are cynical about politicians...

Murphy_The_Cat

Hi spendless
the people who have extended their home are going to get there pants pulled down and their buttocks severly slapped.

1) the value of their house has gone up anyway, so we'll adjust their banding to reflect this (everyone in the country gets caught by this one)

2) they've had the bare faced cheek to improve their home and increase its value even further. These people obviously have to much money - lets move the house up several bands and screw 'em for loads. That'll teach them for improving their own housing.

Always remember this line when dealing with Council Tax.
Homeowner = Cash cow

MTC

But don't forget Phony Tonys promise of no increase in taxes.
Or his wish that revaluation should not lead to a change in the overall council tax yield. (ha ha)
Or his promise not to increase NI (which was made just before the last general election, which he promptly did after being re -elected)