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Original poster

Council tax

32 replies

Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour · 27/07/2021 12:20

I've just received a notification that my council tax has gone up since the start of the new year and I'm wondering if they're allowed to do that?

I wasn't working at the start of the year when the original bills got sent out, so obviously got a discount for being a lone parent and unemployed.
I think the bill I received was for just over £700 which is what I was liable for and the rest I assume written off.
I'd had a lump sum off my previous employer so paid £600 council tax and £600 on my rent which is 3 months payments to cover me until I started a new job in june.
I only had one month left to pay on my council tax which I went to pay yesterday and noticed it has gone upto £900 for the rest of the year.

Before I get on the phone to them I was just wondering are they allowed to do that? I've clearly paid what I owed and know that I've now gone back to work so any benefits I did receive will stop, but can they just all of a sudden add on extra payments after giving me a bill and it almost being paid off?

OP posts:
Pazuzu · 27/07/2021 12:25

This sounds like a bill was issued based on you being on qualifying benefits. But because you're now in work and no longer qualifying (which I'm assuming you notified them of) for the same (or any) assistance with council tax, they've reissued the bill to reflect this. Council tax is April to April so although you may have only paid say 25% of the bill for April to now, you are now liable for the full amount for now until April 2022.

PeonyTime · 27/07/2021 12:46

You will be charged 2 months (April, May) with the unemployed and single occupier discount, and then 10 months with just the single occupier discount.

If you move another adult into the house before April, your bill would increase again.

Original poster
Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour · 27/07/2021 15:11

Ok thank you, I've never had this happen before as I've always worked so had the right amount given to me at the start of every year.

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished.

OP posts:
Original poster
Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour · 27/07/2021 15:14

@PeonyTime That's the thing, I'd already paid pretty much all my yearly bill.
I only had just over £100 left to pay and had a year to do so.

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 27/07/2021 15:16

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished

How do you think we should pay for those services instead?

NoWordForFluffy · 27/07/2021 15:17

[quote Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour]@PeonyTime That's the thing, I'd already paid pretty much all my yearly bill.
I only had just over £100 left to pay and had a year to do so.[/quote]
Yes, but the bill was issued on a different basis (i.e. that you weren't working). You don't get to keep that rate for the whole year if you subsequently start to work again during that year.

It's not at all cheeky!

PeonyTime · 27/07/2021 15:22

Put it this way:
Say there were 2 adults living in a house in April. Bill issued on that basis. One person moves out in June. Would you expect the bill to be reduced immediately, or require the house to.pay the bill for 2 adults until the end of the tax year?

BarbaraofSeville · 27/07/2021 15:25

@Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour

Ok thank you, I've never had this happen before as I've always worked so had the right amount given to me at the start of every year.

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished.

Yeah, we shouldn't have to pay for anything that we don't want to pay for.

We don't need schools or emergency services or social workers do we?

WTFisNext · 27/07/2021 16:01

@Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour

Ok thank you, I've never had this happen before as I've always worked so had the right amount given to me at the start of every year.

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished.

Genuinely curious about how you'd propose paying for...
  • roads
  • on rainwater drainage
  • schools
  • recycling/waste collections
  • social services
  • the police (in Wales at least some of their funding is attached to council tax payments)
  • care homes
  • care in the community
  • numerous community services (which might still include libraries)

Because central government only give a tiny portion of what councils need to operate. However you look at it, tax needs to be paid for these services to exist, why shouldn't you pay your share? At least council tax can't be bypassed by the wealthy.

icedcoffees · 27/07/2021 16:10

@Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour

Ok thank you, I've never had this happen before as I've always worked so had the right amount given to me at the start of every year.

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished.

Would you think the same if you lived with a partner, they moved out, and you weren't entitled to the single-person discount until the end of the year?
Original poster
Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour · 27/07/2021 16:13

I never said I didn't want to pay my share, I've worked and earned money since the day I left school at 16.

I know what council tax is for, but 9x10 the services that they're meant to be used for are all run down or barely existent.

OP posts:
BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 27/07/2021 16:15

I know what council tax is for, but 9x10 the services that they're meant to be used for are all run down or barely existent

Then all the better to get as much income in as possible from those whose circumstances mean its payable.

Original poster
Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour · 27/07/2021 16:16

@icedcoffees yes I would, as i said I'd already paid most of it as i do most years in one lump sum or 3 or 4 smaller ones to help my costs throughout the year. If I've overpaid then it should be reduced the next year or put up if I have underpaid.

OP posts:
icedcoffees · 27/07/2021 16:20

[quote Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour]@icedcoffees yes I would, as i said I'd already paid most of it as i do most years in one lump sum or 3 or 4 smaller ones to help my costs throughout the year. If I've overpaid then it should be reduced the next year or put up if I have underpaid.[/quote]
So if you were flat broke, you're saying you'd really be happy to keep overpaying your council tax for the next, what 6-8 months when you needed the money for food or rent?

GetOffThatTable · 27/07/2021 16:25

If I've overpaid then it should be reduced the next year or put up if I have underpaid

That isn't how it works though. It is a tax, collected locally and based on the local needs hence why a D band isn't the same across the entire country, but still a government tax for local services.

Maybe you can afford to lump sum pay it either yearly or quarterly but I used to work in council tax and many people struggled especially those coming off benefits and working and now having to fork out for something they didn't have to pay before.

BernadetteRostankowskiWolowitz · 27/07/2021 16:31

It would take additional resources (and therefore costs) to track peoples year on year spend/ balances.

Its x for the year. Pay in one lump, monthly over 10months or monthly over 12 months.

If you want to squirrel away funds for the harder times, that's for you to manage, not the CT team.

Iquitit · 27/07/2021 16:32

If the council tax for your property is £1500 then that's what it is regardless of your circumstances, the council tax itself doesn't change because of your circumstances.
When you are on a low income then you're entitled to council tax benefit, depending on what your income is, so a % of the £1500 is paid by CT benefit, and a % by you.
When your circumstances changed, your council tax bill didn't change, your entitlement to benefit did, so that 0% is paid by CT benefit and 100% by you - minus the payments you've already made.

But the amount of CT for your property remains the same, if they didn't adjust it now, then you'd underpay for the rest of the year and your payments would be more next year, and the council would have a shortfall in revenue this year because the % that was being paid by benefits is not being paid by anyone.

I do hear you on the lack of services though!

Thelittleweasel · 27/07/2021 16:43

@Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour

"I know what council tax is for, but 9x10 the services that they're meant to be used for are all run down or barely existent"

That is because over the years the central government only allowed local councils to put the CT up by 1.9% rather than the 5% or so that would be needed. We none of us like paying tax but we simply do not pay enough. It's the same with the care system and public services. The police are getting 0% pay rise so that Boris does not increase income tax.

Changeisneeded · 27/07/2021 16:43

What should your council tax for the year be without the unemployment discount?

Then what was it with the discount?

Eg if it should £1500 but was £700 due to discount then the £800 would be split per month meaning that you would have had a reduction for the two months you weren’t working of 133 and the remaining 570 odd would be due now you are in work.

Eg currently I am a student my council tax is zero come October I will not be a student they will thus charge me 6 months worth of council tax even though I would like my bill to continue being zero!

gogohm · 27/07/2021 16:47

You only get the discount for when you weren't working! Who else pays for these services do you think? Us

memberofthewedding · 27/07/2021 18:12

Council Tax is a bloody scam for single people. You are subsidising all those families with several incomes coming in.

MaskingForIt · 27/07/2021 18:15

@Blueisnotmyfavouritecolour

Ok thank you, I've never had this happen before as I've always worked so had the right amount given to me at the start of every year.

I do still think it's a bit bloody cheeky though and council tax should be abolished.

Hang on, you’ve been in receipt of benefits that the (income) tax payer has paid for, but you don’t want to pay (council) tax yourself?

Bloody socialists.

BarbaraofSeville · 27/07/2021 18:21

@memberofthewedding

Council Tax is a bloody scam for single people. You are subsidising all those families with several incomes coming in.
Or you could have a family with one income that has to support several people including paying the full rate of council tax.

They tried charging per person. We all remember how well that went.

PheasantsNest · 27/07/2021 18:46

The only cheeky thing about it is you thinking you can get something for nothing.

SeeYaBeYa · 27/07/2021 18:53

It's a fucking scam though. It's a massive extra portion of tax if you're on low or minimum wage. All for vanity projects and backhanders in the case of our council.