To think sending bailiffs after desperate people is despicable

[Catsinspring]

If someone can’t pay their council tax, threatening them with bailiff action is awful. People end up owning hundreds of pounds. I am horrified.

Cjt110 who is priortising sky tv/internet/tobacco over council tax in this thread?

There are other ways to enforce, but councils tend to go straight for bailiffs to try and intimidate you into paying more than you can afford.

But that is down to the council, not the fault of enforcement agents. The enforcement agents are doing a job, the council have sent the debt to them to collect.

I think CT being taken at source is better for those who struggle to pay.

My mum doesn't prioritise her council tax. She and her DH don't have a regular, set income due to self employment but are earning pretty well. One day they could have £5K in the bank and the next month, be in their overdraft. If it were me I would set aside vital funds such as council tax (or pay the year's bill in one) but they don't. They blow it all and then can't pay the next month's council tax.

I understand the need for debt collection companies.

And how would a council decide between cases of genuine hardship and those who just preferred to spend their council tax money on something else?
This ^^. Some people just can't be bothered to pay bills till the very last minute anyway. If someone is really in dire straits then they need to contact the council and explain. More likely to be able to arrange payment terms and avoid the bailiffs completely. If you don't tell them...

I just can't believe how expensive council tax is. I never properly realised until I went and lived in a few other countries. The UK is a bloody expensive place to be poor!! High taxes, national insurance on top of that, and that's all before you even see the money you've earnt. Then council tax, tv licence, water bills... I never really thought about it until I left but good grief it is a lot when you compare it to other countries. Such a shame that it doesn't result in things running smoothly, that would at least soften the blow lol.

Just get rich and dont pay tax or financially bring the country down. No bother then.

I think for those who struggle and those of us who can and do pay it is very surprising the number of people who can pay, but choose not too until there is enforcement.

I think for those who struggle and those of us who can and do pay it is very surprising the number of people who can pay, but choose not too until there is enforcement.

Absolutely this.

@MichaelMorrissMam

Yes, it is. Bailiffs although doing a job, IME, don't stick to the rulers. When I dealt with them someone random had parked in front of my house. They levied on the car, I contacted them and the council to tell them it wasn't my car. They are supposed to check first, they didn't. They then told me (both) that I had to prove I don't own the car. No amount of telling them I didn't have a driving license, or a car, or know who the car belonged to got anything other than 'prove it' - how on earth do you prove you don't own a random car? They wanted to see the log book - I didn't even know who the car belonged to! Ultimately I just said fine, when you find it and take it, and the owner reports it stolen, and the police find it in the bailiffs possession, will that be proof enough? They removed the levy. That's the sort of tactics they employ.

Cuncil tax is one of the first bills that should be prioritised. Above that of "luxuries" that are taken as a given today like sky tv, internet or things like tobacco. You can survive without those.

You can survive without Sky tv or tobacco, you cannot survive without the internet, for the simple reason that most jobs available to those with fewer qualifications are advertised on-line and have to be applied for on-line. And the oft-suggested "use the internet access at your local library" is not a solution - many people no longer have a local library, if they do, internet access is restricted, perhaps to 1 hour at a time - not enough to do a well written application - and it's not a viable means of monitoring whether you have had any response to your application.

Add to this that it's common in the service industry for you to be expected to have a mobile phone, not just for extra shifts but to find out when your standard shifts are, and smart phone ownership becomes a necessity.

I think for those who struggle and those of us who can and do pay it is very surprising the number of people who can pay, but choose not too until there is enforcement.

But on the other side, no amount of demanding, threats and bailiffs are going to suddenly improve a financial hole. I didn't suddenly find money I didn't have because there was enforcement.

It would be all well and good if bailiffs were a proper business/service and not "hire a thug". Years ago I had bailiffs round over some unpaid CT. I set it up that I was paying £150 a month. After some months I asked for confirmation of how much I had paid, how much was still owing etc. They couldn't produce it! So I stopped paying them. I'm not going to pay indefinitely with no real record of amounts paid/owed etc. They just add on charges as and when. Ultimately if they can't get the money the debt goes back to the council and that's what I wanted.

Yes there needs to be a way to collect debts but intimidating and harassing people isn't the way. Nobody should be subject to threats and be fearful over money owed. What sort of society endorses that?

I come from a Scandinavian country. The council tax here in Britain is approx. 10% of what we used to pay. However, if you live on benefit in the Scandinavian countries, you can still afford to send the kids away on residential, go out from time to time (even though it is really expensive in all the Scandinavian countries) and go on the odd holiday as long as you don't smoke or do other really stupid things with your money. (Then of course Scandinavians on benefit will complain that they can only afford one vacation a year ...completely ignoring the fact that that also goes for a lot of families where both parents work full time .... sometimes you just can't win)

Anyway. I digress: Here. .... I don't even understand how people survive on the benefits in Britain. I always give something to a foodbank before we go on vacation because it ruins my vacation to think that someone else, maybe someone our kids hang out with, will be very hungry while we are out having a laugh and spending extra money.

One last thing: In the Scandinavian countries any tax refund you are due will first get other debt deducted before it is refunded to you. That includes child benefit debt. All kinds of debtors can contact the authorities with proof that someone owes them money and at least get a part of it back this way. You can't just live the high life while people you owe money go without.

Brilliantidiot They should not have clamped a car that was not registered to your address. They took a punt. Ultimately it didn't pay off because it wasn't your car and you had no interest in whether they removed it or not.

But if it had been your car, and the prospect of losing your vehicle didn't get you to pay for whatever reason, they would have removed it and it would have been sold to pay off some of the debt you owed. So the council would have got some of their money back. Its unfortunate that it would have incurred further charges to you (had it been your car and had been removed) but the council would consider it a win because they got paid.

Some enforcement agents may not follow best practice, but they all wear body cameras and all visits are recorded so if you feel you were treated unfairly then it can be fully investigated and absolutely should be.

The biggest feminist issue of our time, IMO.

I think it goes beyond that in fact, although I agree.

he enforcement agents are doing a job well its a scummy job, and ive heard countless stories of lies and intimidation on their part. The idea that they follow the law in completing their "job" is very naive.

The fees charged by bailiffs are shocking though. I know someone who leads a very chaotic life- and ended up with a bill of nearly 400 quid for a missed Dart Charge.

OnlyFoolsnMothers it's certainly not a popular job. Most people are going to feel angry, upset, threatened etc at the idea of some random coming to their home and taking control of their possessions or their money.

It needs replacing with something fairer, it is a regressive tax that takes no account of someone’s ability to pay. Houses worth 100 million in London can be paying the same as a 3 bed semi in a deprived area. It takes a large proportion of a low paid workers wage.

BertrandRussell the charges are set by the company, not the enforcement agent. The enforcement agent gets a set fee for each payment they successfully get paid. They don't get paid anything like the fee charges applied.

The problem is if there wasn't a consequence for not paying council tax, then no one would ever pay it.

If you can't afford to pay your bills there are free services which help and these will keep the bailiffs away. just paying a small amount is all it takes.

I thought the company or council or whatever just sold the debt to the enforcement company?

I doubt you would be so sympathetic if councils didn't chase those who didn't pay and instead doubled everyone else's tax.

It needs replacing with something fairer

I agree. I have always struggled to see why we are taxed on our wages and then have to pay council tax on top of that. Maybe I'm missing something but why can't our tax from our wages be adjusted a bit to cover both taxes and then the government distributes money to the various councils? That would also sort most issues of non payment.

It's easy enough to say oh council tax is a priority bill. But if people are really struggling and the choices are feeding their children, or heating their home adequately, or paying the council tax that month, what are they going to do? Look at all the people falling behind on their rent due to UC. If they are struggling to pay their rent then CT is going to be low on the list of priorities.