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.

From moneyadviceservice.org.uk:

Council Tax is an annual fee that your local council charges you for the local services it provides, like rubbish collection and libraries.

So it’s for the services tenants use. that’s why tenants have to pay it

Oh yawn. Another let's have a go at greedy landlords post! Because let's think about this .... without landlords letting out properties there'd be even fewer properties for tenants to live in !

It's a tax on living in the property, not on owning it.

@DeeCeeCherry
Do you have evidence for this?

OMG ..... boring !!
Goodnightseamer .
You are in the minority. Don’t pay it if you don’t agree with it . See what happens .

It's not a property tax. It's a tax that goes directly to your local government to pay for local services. It is based on the value of the property to make it more fair - so that wealthier people pay more. But its purpose is to pay for things used by the local residents, whether they rent or own.

Yabu

Under the old system of rates you only paid if you owned a property

Not true. Private tenants were responsible for paying the rates. I don't know how social housing worked.

Thanks ThistleTits Just seen your post

Where did you get the idea that tenants didn't pay rates? I was a council tenant pre poll tax and council tax, I can assure you I paid rates

🤣 never read such an entitled post.

So who should pay for your child to go to school, the ambulance to rush you to hospital to save your life, the police to catch your burglar, your crap to be collected from your bin?

Cherries you'd better inform the many thousands of tenants here in Australia that they're all "entitled" then! Because we don't pay the Australian version of council tax...the landlord, the owner of the house does!

Maybe we should all avoid being "entitled" and pay it ourselves then?

It is your bin being emptied op with rubbish you put in it. Why should your ll pay for this?

Op you’re full of crap. Tenants use sewage, water, education, local services, refuse collection. Does the money fairy pay for these services? Actually take the time to go on your council website and it’ll have info on what their money goes on instead of opening your mouth and letting your belly rumble.

BillHadersNewWife
Cherries you'd better inform the many thousands of tenants here in Australia that they're all "entitled" then! Because we don't pay the Australian version of council tax...the landlord, the owner of the house does!

Do you seriously think the Council tax element hasn't been factored into your rent?

Well considering a 3 bed house in a nice suburb with an enormous garden is the same as I was paying in a similar location in the UK but without the added council tax...I don't really care! Plus I earn twice what I did in the UK.

So there's that.

I'm not sure moving to Oz is a viable alternative for everyone paying council tax!

How old are you OP?

Winter of course it isn't. I'm highlighting that it's reasonable and workable for landlords to pay rates or council tax.

@Hisdoeherbuck Sat 16-Nov-19 12:13:36
"Tax is theft, council tax should be scrapped. Police, bin collecting etc should become billed for services."

Streetlights too perhaps? But you'll need them to avoid tripping over all the stuff dumped by fly-tippers with your way of thinking!

Because if the landlords have to pay the council tax they will simply add it to the tenant's rent. The tenant paying it is simply cutting out the middleman.

It is perfectly feasible Bill, my landlord pays the property tax in the USA.
But the rent on my house in the UK would need to go up if I had to cover this as a landlord.
It works either way but will always be built into costs.
The cost of renting will vary area to area, country to country so it isn't possible to compare directly.
My USA house rent is much more expensive than my UK house even though I don't pay any property taxes.

Hefzi

That's the problem with collecting local taxes - It's always going to be unfair to someone.

The poll tax was scrapped because it was recognised as being unfair to a larger % of the population and 'penalised' poorer people !

@BillHadersNewWife - but every year you pay rates which jump up regardless of property value- what's the difference?

It's a local tax used by LAs to top up their government funding for local services.

I'm sure LAs publish annual reports showing income, where the money came from (local residents, local business, government) and a breakdown of expenditure - schools, libraries, LA staff and buildings, special events, donations, vanity projects and investments.

council tax is not a tax on property ownership. op wishes to assert that it is, and use that as a basis for arguing that non property owners shouldn't pay it.

unfortunately whilst everyone is entitled to their own opinion, no one is entitled to their own facts, and the fact is that the residents of each property are liable for the tax, or the owner if it is unoccupied.

now it might be interesting to introduce a progressive property ownership tax. one which had a low rate for the first property you own but higher and higher rates for each additional property owned. but I think it would be a nightmare to administer as it would be fairly easy to create an individual limited company to own each property in a portfolio. if that could be resolved then obviously all the big landlords would divest their holdings which would cause a massive house price crash so obviously if will never happen. however the greediness of some people owning multiple houses while others have none is sickening.