New council tax powers re second homes

Hoenir

SiliconChip said:

Bookworm225 said:

so you think councils do not cross check their data with each other?
such naivety 
the world woke up to anti fraud measures long ago.

I know a couple who have been doing this for years and so far neither council has done anything about it.

People have been known to avoid paying their dues to HMRC for many many years. Too late when they realise just how draconian the powers that HMRC hold are. Taking a risk is fine as long as your are prepared to suffer the potential consequences of your own actons. 

Tabieth

StevieD54 said:

Thank you SiliconChip for at least providing actual evidence of this idea being possible and not slagging me off, as seems to be the general response.
And Bookworm: How come benefit fraud is so widespread if councils are as on the ball as you seem to think?
Oh, and those still going on about my parents committing fraud, please read the OP properly.
Thank you for your time.

Of course it’s possible. It’s still fraud and still illegal. 

Albermarle

Hoenir said:

SiliconChip said:

Bookworm225 said:

so you think councils do not cross check their data with each other?
such naivety 
the world woke up to anti fraud measures long ago.

I know a couple who have been doing this for years and so far neither council has done anything about it.

People have been known to avoid paying their dues to HMRC for many many years. Too late when they realise just how draconian the powers that HMRC hold are. Taking a risk is fine as long as your are prepared to suffer the potential consequences of your own actons. 

Although maybe not paying the correct amount of council tax is even more of a risk.
People in debt are advised always to pay council tax over other bills, as the penalties for not paying it are usually more onerous.  

Grumpy_chap

Olenna said:

Grumpy_chap said:

A married couple can only have one PPR for Council Tax and CGT purposes.

They won't be aligned as the HMRC are only interested in their tax (CGT) and not the tax affairs of local government (Council Tax/Rates)

OK, I will re-phrase that as two separate statements.

• A married couple can only have one PPR for Council Tax purposes.
• A married couple can only have one PPR for CGT purposes.

Apologies if my previous phraseology caused confusion.

StevieD54 said:

Thank you SiliconChip for at least providing actual evidence of this idea being possible and not slagging me off, as seems to be the general response.

I don't consider that I slagged you off.

I don't think that the example provided by SiliconChip gives evidence of this being possible.
One example of a serial law breaker does not make the idea possible in law.
Just imagine Fred West's neighbours down the pub:  "oh, I know a couple who've been luring young girls to their deaths for decades and no one ever does anything about it"

sammyjammy

If they can't afford to pay the required council tax maybe its time to sell it and stay in a hotel when they visit the area?  That way the house can be sold and a family can live in it.

Bigphil1474

OP, the premiums on council tax are designed to discourage second home ownership, particularly in coastal towns/holiday destinations. This doesn't cover commercially owned holiday homes operated as a business. By discouraging second home ownership, the idea is that more people live in these locations full time rather than someone bobbing over for a few weeks in the summer. The person living there could work, raise a family, and use local services which means that the local community has more permanent residents and has a better year round population.

Seaside venues often become ghost towns over winter which puts additional strain on the local community and the services provided/available. You may well see it as draconian, but in reality I think it's more of a last ditch effort to change a long term decline in coastal towns, to take them back to the sort of place that saw people wanting second homes their in the first place.

Ultimately, these coastal towns could end up with no permanent jobs for locals so they all move out, and your neighbours parents end up owning a second home in an empty town.

StevieD54

Phil, thanks for your input. I still find it bizarre that second home owners are being asked to pay 3 times more than the locals when they only use council services about 10% of the time those locals do. e.g. bin collections 

StevieD54

sammyjammy said:

If they can't afford to pay the required council tax maybe its time to sell it and stay in a hotel when they visit the area?  That way the house can be sold and a family can live in it.

It’s not that they can’t afford it, it’s the crazy amount it’s risen over just 2 years. We’re talking £220k here, hardly first time buyer territory. So it’ll sit empty for years probably, like hundreds of others here in N Wales. I know for a fact local estate agents are inundated with properties on their books. So the idea is to force prices down presumably? That’ll take years, if it ever happens at all.

user1977

StevieD54 said:

I still find it bizarre that second home owners are being asked to pay 3 times more than the locals when they only use council services about 10% of the time those locals do. e.g. bin collections 

It's just a tax, not a charge for services rendered. In the same way that your taxation to central government doesn't depend on e.g. how much you personally cost the NHS last year...

Bookworm225

StevieD54 said:

Phil, thanks for your input. I still find it bizarre that second home owners are being asked to pay 3 times more than the locals when they only use council services about 10% of the time those locals do. e.g. bin collections 

I find it bizarre you still think the council tax is a payment for services.
It is not
It is just tax, (which in this instance is being used for social engineering)