Rate debt written off in Northern Ireland rises by 50%

Honkycat

Rate debt written off in Northern Ireland rises by 50% to £150 Million outstanding!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15453799

I feel really angry about this. Here I am paying £200 a month while loads of !!!!!!s just refuse to pay and apparently/amazingly seem to have the debt written off!. I think I might go and pitch a tent at the City Hall!

saverbuyer

Honkycat wrote: »

Rate debt written off in Northern Ireland rises by 50% to £150 Million!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15453799

I feel really angry about this. Here I am paying £200 a month while loads of !!!!!!s just refuse to pay and apparently/amazingly seem to have the debt written off!. I think I might go and pitch a tent at the City Hall!

It's actually 50% rise from £10 million to £15 million. Still utterly shocking and disgusting.

absoluteutopia

Mines due out on the 28th, time to cancel the DD. Had no idea that you could get away without paying them, whats fools all us honest people have been

x12yhp

This will anger a lot of people. I don't mind paying the rates... I do mind that I pay them only for the service to be compromised because some cheapskate wont pay but still gets services!!

At the very least, a person who refuses to pay rates should be black listed such that they do not get bins lifted, they do not get any council attention (eg. if there is noise) and any other related matter.

saverbuyer

I’d be interested to know what sort of sanctions are applied and if they attempt to put charging orders on the properties. Might be worth a FOI request.
I can see why they want to rate vacant properties. It should cover these write-downs.

steveymp

I really don't think people choose not to pay their rates I'm sure a small percentage milk the system as they seem to do with every system in Our Wee Country, whilst driving their 2nd car and enjoying their 3 holidays a year.

A percentage of non payment comes from the people sitting on low incomes or no job, negative equity with fear of eviction and repossession, they only have a certain amount to go around each month and food and shelter comes first priority. I know 2 such couples, who through no fault of their own are in this situation.

I really hope the RCA are busy this month catching up with all the vacant properties which are now liable for rates too.

Honkycat

steveymp wrote: »

I really don't think people choose not to pay their rates I'm sure a small percentage milk the system as they seem to do with every system in Our Wee Country, whilst driving their 2nd car and enjoying their 3 holidays a year.

A percentage of non payment comes from the people sitting on low incomes or no job, negative equity with fear of eviction and repossession, they only have a certain amount to go around each month and food and shelter comes first priority. I know 2 such couples, who through no fault of their own are in this situation.

I really hope the RCA are busy this month catching up with all the vacant properties which are now liable for rates too.

I understood that people in this situation get help with rates if not have all of it payed.

cheqmate06

Rates money may have to be written off for a numbr of reasons:

Person is declared bankrupt by another party. All debt up to the date of bankruptcy is written off.

If a letter is returned undelivered no action can be taken until a visit is carried out. Due to data protection the rates office used to be able to phone nie/other parties to confirm the current occupier. As this can no longer be done and with cuts they simply can get out to the properities as quickly as they should. By that stage the previous owner has done a bunk and the debt is written off. We can also thank sols as there is no powers/legislation involved to make them divulge where the debtor has moved to!!!

almillar

Bad reporting of this story in my opinion. I have to apologise for agreeing with Sammy Wilson and definding LPS - the amount being written off this year is a smaller percentage than it was last year, so it's actually an improvement.
Not collecting bins, just as an example, would detriment any scumbag's neighbours too, which wouldn't be fair.

x12yhp

steveymp wrote: »

I really don't think people choose not to pay their rates I'm sure a small percentage milk the system as they seem to do with every system in Our Wee Country, whilst driving their 2nd car and enjoying their 3 holidays a year.

A percentage of non payment comes from the people sitting on low incomes or no job, negative equity with fear of eviction and repossession, they only have a certain amount to go around each month and food and shelter comes first priority. I know 2 such couples, who through no fault of their own are in this situation.

I really hope the RCA are busy this month catching up with all the vacant properties which are now liable for rates too.

Sorry but if they cannot afford the rates then they should move. If someone cannot afford the rates then they have bought a house which they could not afford so you are sitting there feeling sorry whilst basically funding them to live in a nicer house than they have earned... why?!

almillar wrote: »

Not collecting bins, just as an example, would detriment any scumbag's neighbours too, which wouldn't be fair.

Yeah and if they leave a mess in the street or cause a public health hazard then they get fined, taken to court or sent to prison if they keep messing.

A.L.D.A

cheqmate06 wrote: »

Rates money may have to be written off for a numbr of reasons:

Person is declared bankrupt by another party. All debt up to the date of bankruptcy is written off.

If a letter is returned undelivered no action can be taken until a visit is carried out. Due to data protection the rates office used to be able to phone nie/other parties to confirm the current occupier. As this can no longer be done and with cuts they simply can get out to the properities as quickly as they should. By that stage the previous owner has done a bunk and the debt is written off. We can also thank sols as there is no powers/legislation involved to make them divulge where the debtor has moved to!!!

Also rates are basically an unfair tax as they bear no relationship to either the persons ability to pay or the services they actually use. You could have a house with 4 working and using the swiming pools and all the rest paying the same rates as a single person on reduced hours next door.

With business rates it is worse, you could be landing a business that is currently losing money with a bill they cannot pay. Local income tax would be a lot fairer, and some real effort at reducing Council expenditure is long overdue.