council tax

[swallowthree]

I'm not that bothered about saving about £70.00 per year on my council tax bill but would like to see public services - especially for vulnerable children, elderly and disabled people properly funded. Why is keeping the council tax down considered such a great thing ?

I get form this thread that you think everyone can afford to pay more, but the overwhelming replies have been that we all can't. I know I can't.

If you means tested CT, wheres my motivation to get a good career and earn more when I'll just have to hand more over to the council?

Council Tax is a very unfair tax in some ways because it's not a percentage of income but based on hypothetical house values. The majority of people who can't afford to pay are those who don't receive any council tax benefit and who don't earn a lot so it's a huge proportion of their income but it's not possible to move really. It also usually hits the poorest areas disproportionally.

Means testing would be unfair because in many places you would have pensioners living in massive houses paying very little, whilst a working family in a very modest semi with a large mortgage would be paying out a great deal more.

We get a glossy publicity magazine occasionally from the council, detailing their spending. Lots of grinning pensioners at lunch clubs, plus the fire service, police etc.

I wrote and asked could they tell me how much of my council tax was being spent on pensions.

They didn't reply.

I couldn't afford CT without any rises, at lease I couldn't with DH being made redundant and as a result we have become homeless. I have calculated that salary-rent-CT=£32.34 per week to live on. Out of which we would have to fund gas, electricity, food, basic toiletries (ie toilet paper, soap, shampoo and toothpaste for basic hygiene purposes not luxuries), job hunting, clothes and shoes for DC (I can do without but children have a habit of growing.

I could not afford an extra £70 per year, OK it is only £1.34 per week but it is 4% of my available money. I am willing to be proved wrong if someone can explain how so little can stretch so far.

IME, the way council tax is administrated is really shoddy - that should be reformed, then possibly I would feel better about paying more. I am a student and therefore do not have to pay it, but it took months for the council to accept this - they insisted DH and I pay the full amount claiming they would refund us the 25% he's due back (because he counts as a single person as I'm not eligible to pay it). They then refused to refund it. I can't help feeling very bitter about that since council tax is a big part of our outgoings anyway. It does not make me confident that, if we were to pay more, they would be organised enough to make sure it was used well.