Council Tax are threatening court action

kennethw_2

where has the bill for £169 come from?
from previous arrears or while claiming Jobseekers allowance?

Is it correct as you have mentioned previous incorrect billing, payments made but not recorded on her account and so on? If I were incorrectly billed, I would say "take me to court then". Courts do not just rubber stamp one party's demands, it is your opportunity to present your evidence that you have been incorrectly billed. In most of these cases, the defendant doesn't turn up, and judgement in favour of the party attending is awarded automatically because no defence has been entered.

How is her claim for council tax benefit progressing as they have obtained powers to say that while a claim is being processed, you must still pay your council tax when due

Is she single and claiming the 25% allowance, as the council will not grant this unless you tell them

If a court summons is issued, then £40 will be added for the cost of issuing the summons. If the bill is paid in full (including the £40) prior to the date of the hearing there will be no further liability for this amount

If the court find in the councils favour, the council will demand a further £30 for an IVA (send in the bailiffs)

If an agreement to pay in instalments is made, you will be liable for the £70 as well

Maybe your local councillor can help - find him or her under "contact your MP"

yvonne13_2

Great news my friend has just rang to say they have accepted her request and have put her on a payment plan for £15 a month.

Thank goodness I could come on here and get some advise for her.

CIS

If a court summons is issued, then £40 will be added for the cost of issuing the summons. If the bill is paid in full (including the £40) prior to the date of the hearing there will be no further liability for this amount

If the court find in the councils favour, the council will demand a further £30 for an IVA (send in the bailiffs)

If an agreement to pay in instalments is made, you will be liable for the £70 as well

The costs vary by council , they aren't always £40.00 for a summons nor is there an IVA invloved.

kennethw_2

CIS wrote: »

The costs vary by council , they aren't always £40.00 for a summons nor is there an IVA invloved.

so presumably different councils have different rules. I too received a similar threat, only lifted by intervention from my local councillor leading to backpayment of housing benefit, which instead of being used for rent, was paid to the council tax department - £261.20 to clear the account.

I was offered an installment plan, but the £40 summons fee and £30 IVA fee would be added to the cost as well. I was told this, so you can't both be right, which is why I opted to pay the £261 immediately, leaving literally nothing in my account until the next benefit payday

Typical of councils, trying to get a straight answer to a simple issue is like trying to prove the existence of God

I enjoy the following story. A council employee, working in the council tax department was full of "why won't these silly people pay their council tax on time?" She then finds a boyfriend, moves in with him...oh dear receives a dose of reality, Mummy and Daddy aren't paying my bills anymore, now she has to pay her own council tax and goes very quiet regarding silly people not paying council tax

Glad to hear your friend has reached an agreement, about time these little Hitlers were put in their place

CIS

so presumably different councils have different rules. I too received a similar threat, only lifted by intervention from my local councillor leading to backpayment of housing benefit, which instead of being used for rent, was paid to the council tax department - £261.20 to clear the account.

The costs are set at a local level as each council has different level of expenses they need to recover.

I was offered an installment plan, but the £40 summons fee and £30 IVA fee would be added to the cost as well. I was told this, so you can't both be right, which is why I opted to pay the £261 immediately, leaving literally nothing in my account until the next benefit payday

IVA's aren't generally involved in council tax (An IVA is a agreed debt re-payment arrangement, generally as an alternative to bankruptcy) - what your local authority seem to do is to charge £40.00 for a court summons and £30.00 of the granting of a Liability Order (The order which gives councils power of recovery).

kennethw_2

which is what I said!

I quote from the summons form

What happens next

If the council prove to the satisfaction of the court that the amount on the summons is due from you, the Court will grant a liability order for the sum outstanding. This order gives the power to discharge the debt by seizing your goods and selling them by auction, and direct payments from your earnings or certain state benefits.

This will involve additional costs

I had until Feb 9 to pay. I was successful in getting them to drop the summons fee as the situation arose because of the unreasonably long time - my HB claim is still ongoing from March 13 last year.

I also add that on the form it states that council tax cannot be witheld because of an appeal against an individual's liability for council tax, or council tax valuation band, or a claim for benefit being processed. Payment must still be made in full, if your claim or appeal is successful, a refund will be issued

As this thread is drawing to a close can I ask the following without accusation of hijacking it. Why do single people only get 25% reduction? After all, if I were to share my accomodation, the council tax bill would rise by 33%, but there would then be 2 sources of income, and our individual liabilities would reduce by 33% eg Single £750, 2 people £500 each.
only over 55's can reside at my address, but I remember what happened when the Poll Tax was introduced.

HappyMJ

kennethw wrote: »

As this thread is drawing to a close can I ask the following without accusation of hijacking it. Why do single people only get 25% reduction? After all, if I were to share my accomodation, the council tax bill would rise [STRIKE]by 25%[/STRIKE]it's actually 33%....£750 to £1000 is an increase of 33%, but there would then be 2 sources of income, and our individual liabilities would reduce [STRIKE]by 25%[/STRIKE]again here it's 33% decreasing from £750 to £500. eg Single £750, 2 people £500 each

It's a bit historic really....half the bill is a property tax and half the bill is a poll tax with a maximum of 2 people charged. It's a blend of the old rates (fixed price per property) and the poll tax (fixed price per person). So when you only have one occupant you get 25% off the whole bill.

kennethw_2

edited the maths. Thought - as a tenant, I am therefore taxed on something I don't own. Still, that would be in line with the local Landrover man, whose workshop is on private land, the council provide zero facilities, but still has to pay business rates. Also the owners of holiday chalets who have to pay council tax despite that residential use is not permitted, indeed they have to be vacant for around 2 months

It may be the system, but does not answer my point re unfairness of the system. Consider 3 adults in the same address, their liability will be £333 each