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.

I don't understand why council tax is banded depending on your house price. I'm still going to use the same number of bins and libraries whether I live in a 1 bed flat or a 5 bed house.

You've resurrected a 4 year old Zombie..............

Council tax pays for council services

Education, Fire Service, Street Lights, Refuse Collection etc

That's why you need to pay it.

Shit zombie thread

😳

Edit: just realised this is a zombie.

Council tax makes up a quarter of council spending. The majority of council funding comes from elsewhere

totally baffled as to what point you think you are making here?
25% is a very sizeable / significant proportion of the budget. In any case, whether it made up 99%, 75%, 25% or 1% of the budget, it’s still money that is used to pay for local services used by local residents

Council tax is a levy to pay toward local services, tenants use those services too.

The fact that the amount is roughly based on house values doesn't mean tenants shouldn't pay.

Yes... I know it's a zombie.

If landlords had to pay it, wouldn't they just increase the rent to cover it?

But a five bedroom house has the potential for five or more people to be living there using services, whereas a one bedroom property would probably only have two people living there using services.

Well if you had read the thread before resurrecting a zombie you would have had multiple replies.

My answer from 2019 remains the same - it is very sensible to have some taxes that are based on income and other taxes that are based on standard of living. Some people have a low income but live off enormous savings and have paid off their mortgage. Two couples on the same income so with same income tax - one couple lives in a one-bed flat and pays band-A council tax. The other live in a 5 bed house and pay band G (and draw a couple of thousand out of savings each month which isn't taxed) and that is a fair and reasonable way to split the costs of society according to means to pay. The same size of band G 5-bed home might also be an HMO with the same council tax divided between 5 people and that us also fair.