Council tax -single person discount when unoccupied for sale?

davidmcn

moneysavinghero said:

I did not say it was a charge for services. But in effect it is. All of the costs the council incurs for providing the services it does gets split between all of the properties in that councils area

No, councils get most of their funding via central government.

Marvel1

oldbikebloke said:

moneysavinghero said:

Why is it ok for single people to get charged more per person, even though they cost less for the council to service. 

council tax is NOT a charge for services and nor does a single person get charged more, you simply do not know what you are talking about in terms of the basis of council tax.

It is a property tax where 50% is the charge for the property and 50% for the 2 occupants. Hence 25% reduction if only 1 resident.
One resident pays the same rate as two.
You would have a case had you complained that >2 occupants do get an "unfair" advantage. 

local income tax would be the only fair way to do it - but even then what about second home owners and landlords with voids. Why should such people be taxed twice (or more) on the same income? Yet if not taxed, the "person in the street" would scream about how the "rich" get away with it.

The way I see it is, example fugure:
Council tax £100 a month, 2 people would split amongst themselves as £50 each.
Single person with 25% is paying £75.00

Whichever government proposes 50% discount gets my vote.

Marvel1

Scottishgal87 said:

sweetsand said:

greatcrested said:

sweetsand said:

Slinky said:

sweetsand said:

IMO, single people should pay 50% and more than 5 should pay more.

And who is going to police the '5 and more'? Are we relying on the curtain twitchers dobbing in the neighbours? We're back into Poll Tax territory and that didn't end well.

Would cost more to administer than it would raise.

I don't know. It's an idea, do you have a better one?

You either charge the people/occupants (as Maggie tried to do), or you charge the property.

I guess the only alternative would be a local Income Tax, or increase the current Income Tax and have central governement take over fully funding of councils.

How would that work and the costs and in some areas where more than half of the adults do not work?

Name an area where over 50% of adults don’t work?

My home town probably.

moneysavinghero

davidmcn said:

moneysavinghero said:

I did not say it was a charge for services. But in effect it is. All of the costs the council incurs for providing the services it does gets split between all of the properties in that councils area

No, councils get most of their funding via central government.

In 2018/19 the figure from central gov. was only 31%. Not sure how this is 'most'. This is also a figure that is going down - government are expecting councils to fund more of the services themselves (ie pass it on to households)

But even if it was most coming from central gov. it wouldn't change anything. Single households would still be paying a bigger percentage of the pot that councils charge to make up the difference between gov funding and what it costs them to provide the services.

KatrinaWaves

davidmcn said:

moneysavinghero said:

I did not say it was a charge for services. But in effect it is. All of the costs the council incurs for providing the services it does gets split between all of the properties in that councils area

No, councils get most of their funding via central government.

Yeah you’ve already had some
figures quoted already for 2018/2019 but this is being slashed to basically zero, if not zero. 

KatrinaWaves

Scottishgal87 said:

Quite strange for a highly respected philanthropist to suggest a rule that would cause financial difficulties for people. 

You do realise you can write whatever you want in your signature. I might write ‘well respected billionaire’ in mine.

Plus I’ve never heard anyone well respected describe themselves as such. They don’t need to. The only person who does is Trump and erm... agree to disagree Donnie. 

oldbikebloke

Marvel1 said:

The way I see it is, example fugure:

Council tax £100 a month, 2 people would split amongst themselves as £50 each.
Single person with 25% is paying £75.00

Whichever government proposes 50% discount gets my vote.

so would we all vote
meanwhile, in the real world of a destroyed economy to give old people a couple more years of life, central govt has removed the rate support grant and, in my case, reduced the proportion of NNDR given back to the council who collects it to ZERO

as a result my council has removed all and any discretionary discounts it can give for CT. Sadly those council up north have yet to feel the economic realities are they are the "new marginals", and so cannot yet be done over like Tory homelands can 

moneysavinghero

Highest council tax in the country is in Northumberland £1848 (up north) and the lowest is Westminster £449 (down south)

oldbikebloke

moneysavinghero said:

Highest council tax in the country is in Northumberland £1848 (up north) and the lowest is Westminster £449 (down south)

link please?
https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1337161/council-tax-uk-map-highest-bills-area

moneysavinghero

oldbikebloke said:

moneysavinghero said:

Highest council tax in the country is in Northumberland £1848 (up north) and the lowest is Westminster £449 (down south)

link please?
https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/1337161/council-tax-uk-map-highest-bills-area

https://www.taxpayersalliance.com/analysing_inflation_busting_council_tax_rises