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Charges for unpaid council tax 'push people further into debt'

Former_MSE_Faye
Posts: 147 Forumite
Councils are too quick to call in bailiffs, use court orders and demand upfront payments, says Citizens Advice...
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'Charges for unpaid council tax 'push people further into debt''

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'Charges for unpaid council tax 'push people further into debt''

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Comments
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The article is not clear as to what they term as 'arrears'. They need to clarify it to fully make sense as it completely alters the reading of it and the relevant figures.
As it stands, from my best attempt to make sense of it, they're including 'arrears' as balances before and after a liability order. If so, that then alters significantly the part regarding the use of enforcement agents.
If 61% received a 'court order' - presumably a liability order then that's about 610 people. The 48% who had a enforcement agent can only be a sub-set of these people , so 48% of 610, or approx 290 people.
This then reduced the overall figure of those who've had enforcement agent action to 29%, not 48%.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
So how do Council's recover the money that is owed.
If council tax remains unpaid then it the rest of us who actuall do pay that have to make up the shortfall by increased council tax bills.
I'm not sure than any of us actually want to pay, but it's a bill that must be paid, just like rent, fuel and food and so should be a priority over and above other stuff but there are too many who see it as an option.
Unfortunately the cost of recovering unpaid debts will always be greater than the debt especially if there are court or bailiff costs involved - even just chasing a debt cost more than collecting it from those who pay up on time. Those costs have to be recovered and as far as I'm concerned they should be recovered from those who cause them, not the rest of us.
Perhaps the CAB should be giving them better advice on money management rather than squeaking on about how hard done by they all are.Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
Having spent 10 years primarily in Council Tax collection it's a perennial question - what is the best way ?.
A large amount of debt is not actually owed once the correct discount, exemptions and time periods are sorted + any council tax support. It's a case of getting the information though.
CAB had no clue whatsoever about how council tax worked nor, in some cases, how to manage the debt. I lost count of the number of times I intervened in the advice CAB had given so that they didn't actually make the situation worse.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
Around fifty councils add insult to injury be continuing to use premium rate 084 or 087 numbers for contact about council tax matters and/or payment by phone - in breach of guidance published by the Cabinet Office on 26 December 2013.0
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Around fifty councils add insult to injury be continuing to use premium rate 084 or 087 numbers for contact about council tax matters and/or payment by phone - in breach of guidance published by the Cabinet Office on 26 December 2013.
That is something I disagree with out of principal - public services should never be more than standard telephone rates.
CraigI no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
I have just won a massive battle with my council in regards to my single persons discount which I had been fighting for since October 2014! They thought I should be paying full rate no matter what, I had to get my MP involved to get it sorted in the end so had over paid by a good grand. Think it's about time council tax was scrapped. Apart from the bin collections everything else is paid for from our income tax and I already hand over enough of that each month. I don't how they expect those on a low wage to be able to afford the stupidly high rates in the first place. I earn 16k. I live in cheapest place in my area and buy my food from asda and get the bus for work. Buy the time I have paid for those things I can't afford the council tax on top!0
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They quite clearly operate the system as a penalty money making set up.
This is why local councils can not really be trusted with power and authority, they are not staffed by very nice people are they.
It should be returned to central government and council tax scrapped, we need an end to this smoke and mirrors taxation system.
All to make income tax look low.
Scrap all this stealth tax and put income tax to one flat level for all and make sure everyone pays it .
Including those on benefits.I do Contracts, all day every day.0 -
smallandcute wrote: »I have just won a massive battle with my council in regards to my single persons discount which I had been fighting for since October 2014! They thought I should be paying full rate no matter what, I had to get my MP involved to get it sorted in the end so had over paid by a good grand. Think it's about time council tax was scrapped. Apart from the bin collections everything else is paid for from our income tax and I already hand over enough of that each month. I don't how they expect those on a low wage to be able to afford the stupidly high rates in the first place. I earn 16k. I live in cheapest place in my area and buy my food from asda and get the bus for work. Buy the time I have paid for those things I can't afford the council tax on top!
Did you use a valuation tribunal ?
Income tax doesn't pay for it all though (at least not directly) - Council Tax is specifically intended to make up a proportion of council budgets, the balance being funded from central government (which will in part come from income tax).
Council's certainly have their faults but in some ways the design of the current system causes the problems - they either cut services or raise council tax. They have statutory duties to preform but the monies they get centrally are being cut year on year so their hands are forced from central government.I no longer work in Council Tax Recovery but instead work as a specialist Council Tax paralegal assisting landlords and Council Tax payers with council tax disputes and valuation tribunals. My views are my own reading of the law and you should always check with the local authority in question.0 -
So?
Pay your bills.
You think people should get a discount for not paying to help them?
The non payers steal from the rest of us.
Work. Pay your way.Hi there! We’ve had to remove your signature. It was so good we removed it because we cannot think of one so good as you had and need to protect others from seeing such a great signature.0 -
TBH I much prefer the council tax than the old poll tax but to be fair i'd much prefer to keep the £157pm in my pocket.0
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