I HATE paying Council Tax. It's the bill I hate the most.

[flashbac]

Council Tax is regressive and unfair.

It takes more money from lower income individuals.

It has no link to the actual value of a property.

In addition to linking council tax to value, the bands also need to increase in range in order to reflect the vast difference in property values.

How can it be right that a million pound property in Westminster is the same or (often lower) CT rate than a 2 up, 2 down house in Yorkshire?

The advantage of a property tax over an income tax is that property taxes tax wealthy where as income taxes just tax earnings.

Well, all you people in England didn't like Poll Tax and this is what happens. Didn't really think it through did you?

The Westminster thing is easy to explain. Loads of high band properties and loads of business taxes. They've got more top band homes in Westminster than in basically the whole north of England.

Council tax is still regressive though.

But lets face it everything in Scotland seems to be free.

@Spidey66
Please tell me you are joking and do not mean you are so ignorant as not to understand that your water supply is so very much more than what ' fell out of the sky'?

I hate the water rates. I mean I pay it and everything but I resent paying for something that falls from the sky

Your water is collected, processed and made safe, and provided to your home via a vast network of pipes, so all you have to do is turn on a tap. Your water waste is taken away for you, via a flushed toilet or drained bath......and you think that all of that service should be free?

You could of course, disconnect your water and catch your own in a bucket when it rains, if you think that's all that's needed.

There is no "fair" way, that's the problem.

DH and I live in a large house in Surrey. We pay a large CT bill. We pay to SurreyCC, Surrey Police, town council, parish council. Covers all services you would expect, schools, roads, police, fire, social services (for which we now pay an additional levy), refuse, and additional village amenities.

However, we are only two and pay considerably more than a smaller house down the road, with six occupants. Substantially more if done on a per person charge.

So, that's not fair either, other than we do, as wealthier, already subsidise that house down the road. So actually is this not, in fact, already fair and progressive.

Note, that a single person gets a reduction, because they are single, but a multi-occupency house does not need to pay more, regardless.

You could therefore see it as being totally progressive.

I get why you would hate the actual method of tax which doesnt seem fair.

I do think councils deliver a lot of essential services that make a difference to our lives and i do like the principle of local democracy and accountability.

@Rosebel

I'm fed up with the way it goes up practically every year and yet the services don't improve. If anything they get worse.

This is caused by a process started in the Thatcher years and continued since by all governments, of making Councils legally responsible for ever more local services and at the same time cutting their central funding and limiting their council tax rises so that they have to cut or dispense with any non-statutory functions.

If council tax remains it should be based on number of adults in household. I think the poll tax was fairer in that sense.

@Skinnytailedsquirrel

Well, all you people in England didn't like Poll Tax and this is what happens. Didn't really think it through did you?

It was Thatcher who didn't think it through. As devised in the 80's it was an unworkable disaster.

The Revenue Commissioners in Ireland are going to revalue homes every four years to make sure the property tax is correct.

Yes we have really low council tax in some London Boroughs - I'm in Greenwich and it's £130 a month I think

@bravotango yes, if you’re paying £4k in council tax in Scotland then about £1k of that is water / sewage charges.

I think it's difficult to get a fair tax. But Council tax isn't based on property value- it's based on size and the idea is that reflects the number of occupants using the services- which is obviously flawed. Basing a tax on property value would disadvantage councils in areas where property prices are lower, so it doesn't make sense.

The counter argument on council tax has always been that those in bigger houses don't use more services, arguably less in many cases.

So the banding system does subsidise those worse off in a way that is relatively easy to manage because it is essentially fixed.

@Whycangirlsbesonasty

The advantage of a property tax over an income tax is that property taxes tax wealthy where as income taxes just tax earnings.

And what about the wealthy who chose to invest in other ways rather than property.

I actually think the whole Tax, council tax, NI needs a complete overhaul.
Make it clearer for individuals and cheaper to collect both for small businesses and Government.

@Babyroobs

But lets face it everything in Scotland seems to be free.

They make certain things 'free' at the point of use, but we still pay for them in our higher income tax and higher council tax. If you lived where I live, you'd be appalled at the lack of services. All the other people from down south are.

The poll tax was a much better way to pay for local services. I think when it was introduced the levels were too high and needed some readjustment but the overall idea was good.

Take my household 5 adults and I pay the same community charge as 3 other household in my 6 household road which consist of only 2 adults so we are paying less per adult but using more.

@Babyroobs

But lets face it everything in Scotland seems to be free.

Let's face it lots of free goodies, but really nothing is free, everything gets paid for somewhere.

Which is one of the things really pissing me off. Free uni great but schools and colleges are totally strapped for cash paying for it.
SEN kids aren't getting the support they deserve. P1s still using Biff and Chip books that came out the Ark.

Nothings free.

YANBU - the whole tax system needs overhauling to make it fairer.

Also the town councils in Ireland were downsized /abolished /expenses only.

Also water charges are part of our stealth taxation. There was a huge fuss when the government tried to privatise it. People quite rightly kicked up a fuss saying the money would be wasted by the new water management body. And people were right, they were giving themselves bonuses before they were 6 months in operation. Not to mention the cost and waste of setting themselves up.

@flashbac

Council Tax is regressive and unfair.

It takes more money from lower income individuals.

It has no link to the actual value of a property.

In addition to linking council tax to value, the bands also need to increase in range in order to reflect the vast difference in property values.

How can it be right that a million pound property in Westminster is the same or (often lower) CT rate than a 2 up, 2 down house in Yorkshire?

I do not hate paying Council Tax, or any other tax, it is part of contributing to a civilised society. It should not be linked to the value of a house though, why should someone in a million pound house pay more than in a £500k house? Do they use more council services, do they have more bin collections?

The reason those regional discrepancies exist is because the councils in each area are required to fund services, that is divided by the houses across the bands in the area.

I HATE council tax more than anything, in 2020 there was a 14% hike!! My council put on about 5% and Sadiq the Mayor of cockwombledon put it up 9% so that was up to £2800 something.
Next year it will be £3100 something. Where I live is disgusting, we get nothing for our money so we're moving within 2 years

@YouTubeAddict

I’m also extremely curious about the mansion v 2 up 2 down. Do you have a link to this?

I pay more for my 3 bed detached than Buckingham Palace does