Why do tenants have to pay council tax?

[Goodnightseamer]

It's a domestic property tax. But tenants don't own any property, so they're paying tax on something they don't own. They didn't use to have to pay rates, but they have to pay council tax. Why? NB council tax is not a tax for use of services so that argument doesn't wash. It is a tax where liability is created by the existence of a domestic property. Which tenants clearly do not own.

Under the old system of rates you only paid if you owned a property. But Margaret Thatcher brought in the old Poll Tax to make it fairer, so everyone would pay. It was a disaster and so was revised to become Council Tax, and everyone has got used to paying.

People without children pay towards schools as do people who use private schools it is for local services that every tenant needs.

Well I'm going to get slated but I agreed with the poll tax principle.
I was a teenager and my mum a single parent working full time. She had the same rates as the people over the road who had 4 members of the household working full time.
So the poll tax was much fairer as she paid 1 amount and those neighbours paid 4 amounts one each of them, how is that not fair if they all work.
Now in my own home but disabled but no annex so cant get a penny off council tax and now cant get my pension until 67 so cant get pension credit me and hubby my self employed work from home and carer pay loads, our neighbours 2 on state and works pensions and 2 adults working full time pay the same and I still don't think it fair.

If you don’t want your bins emptied, roads maintained, won’t need your fire service or police, library, any leisure or recreational facilities, environmental health services checking your favourite takeaway is up to hygiene standards...I could go on. It’s not property tax.

Op it is a tax based on people resident in the property. You get discount for being a single occupant and you can get it suspended for up to 6 months for an empty property. This backs up the theory that it’s based on the usage of services by the occupants (in this case tenants). Like others have suggested, landlords paying it would only result in increased rent anyway.

OP the tax is determined by who LIVES at the property- because it is a tax for the occupants to pay. For example if the property is occupied by students - no tax, even if the landlord is a professional. Rate of tax also depends on number of people living in the property and whether they are low income/ unemployed etc. You don’t seem to be listening

It's not a tax on a property, it's a revenue raising source to cover education, refuse collection, roads, libraries and loads of other services provided by your local authority. The simplest way at present is to base the amount on the value of a property. Some say this is unfair as why just because the value is high yet may only house one or two people with no children therefore use less of the services should they pay more than say a less valuable property with 5 including 3 children, using schools, produce more rubbish etc. Better minds than mine still trying to sort that out.

I wouldn't knock it either. I remember the threat a few years' ago of trying to revalue properties to gain more money out of people😡

According to the council I live in and the .gov website council tax covers the cost of services provided by council eg police, bin emptying etc.

Perhaps the amount of revenue collected doesn’t fully cover all the services (I can imagine this is the case in more impoverished areas) and is made up by funds from other sources.

I don’t know why tenants would expect not to pay? One would assume they do consume those services after all.

Mmm - so tenants pay council tax? Poor lambs. They also generally get all their property maintenance done for free. Where I live, I know several people in local authority (Council) houses, who have had new kitchens, bathrooms, roof repairs and central heating all provided at no additional cost to themselves. One family were unhappy with the new bathroom provided and kicked off until the Council changed it. This is not merely anecdotal by the way, I know the people involved. As for low income, high income etc, etc. We’re not hard up compared to a lot of people but at 68 years of age I’m still working, albeit part time now, just so that we can have a reasonably comfortable life. This year alone, we’ve had to find £800 for repairs to our drive, over £1000 for new fences and £600 for repairs to our roof - oh, and we pay sodding Council tax as well!

As for ‘owning an asset’? Get real! Unless we decide to move into a tent, our asset can’t become liquid and if one or both of us (God forbid) ever need social care, then our house will be snatched to pay for it. Of course, the poor tenants will get the same level of care for - guess what? FREE! So stop bloody moaning!

It's a tax for occupation of property not ownership and it does go towards local services even if it doesn't completely fund them on its own.
Property tax in regards to ownership is Stamp duty and that's completely different and more like what the OP is referring to and not payable by tenants

This thread is insane. Has mumsnet been infiltrated by someone on a mad election campaign or something? OP, you are either pedantic or not quite with it. Not sure which.

But it is a tax for use of services
Council tax pays for local services provided by your council
And similar comments.

How come one apparently uses more services just because one's house is more expensive? Would it not be fairer to charge by the number of adults resident in the property?

Because tenants also use local council services? What a ridiculous question (not a landlord).

I'm baffled by this thread.

Council tax pays for your local services, it's not based on who bought the property, it's based on who lives in it.

Dear me.

@lilypoppet 'Under the old system of rates you only paid if you owned a property.'

As several people have pointed out, including me, tenants did pay rates.

Getting tenants to be liable for council tax means the rent charged by the landlord is lower than it would otherwise be.

Council tax was an emergency fill in measure when we got rid of the poll tax. It has been a 30 year stop gap and, as a replacement for the poll tax it DOES have the expectation that all should pay..

OK, OP, why shouldn’t tenants pay council tax? Don’t they use any local services?

A domestic property is defined as dwelling that has no more than one family unit. This could be a house, individual flats and maisonettes.

You live in a domestic property not a business.

Domestic as in family.
Property as in building.

Repeating this over and over doesn't help to clarify what it is you seemed to be puzzled by.

Everyone pays for police and services- get a grip.

As you say, @SpamChaudFroid people paid much less under the old rates system.
Previous OP response. And yes, tenants paid rates. Whichever way you put it 'rates included' means rates were paid along with the rent.

But that's immaterial. If you want a philosophical/ethical debate about taxation, I find myself wondering why in the world you believe this is the appropriate forum.

If you do believe it. Maybe you just want to demonstrate your perceived intellectual superiority? Your response to those who seem to have not the first clue what you are asking is condescending at best.

So by your definition if you rent a car you should not have to pay insurance on it?

Council tax is a tax on a property that you have the use of. It does go a way towards funding things like the fire service and police. You are the one at the property using things like bin collections etc. Ergo you have to pay it.

You're not paying for the house, you're paying for council services you are using (bin collections, local schools, road maintenance etc.)

Council Tax raises money for the Council to invest overseas.