What was the Poll Tax?

[dogsod]

I'm too young to remember it and I can't for thw life of me figure it out. It was going to be a community charge that was replaced by council tax anyway? What's the difference?
What would it have cost you and what was it for?

I have googled it and it just comes up with long, pages and pages. Can anyone give me a clue please. Its brought up a lot on here and I'm getting a bit grumpy reading it and not knowing what it is

The advent of the poll tax was also the reason why houses started to be metered for water.
Prior to 1989 everyone paid water rates. The rates were based on the rateable value of a property.
When the poll tax came in the council no longer needed to send a rates official out to assess the property (as it was now the person being taxed). So water companies had to find a way to charge for water in new builds. Hence the water meter.
So if a property is still on water rates then its on the pre 1989 system.
water companies didn't change over to a system based on the council tax after the poll tax ended.

Aberystwith University certainly sent me a housing information pack that had details of having to pay the poll tax and applying for a discounted rate.

As I remember it, it replaced the old “rates” and in my family it meant that my both my parents, my 18 yr old sister and my brother who had moved back after a complete mental crisis and couldn’t work at that time, would be paying it. I was dreading turning 18 because I knew I couldn’t afford it.

The theory was that why should a single adult pay the same as a couple living in the same size of property. There was, however, no consideration for the fact that one half of that couple might have no personal income at all!

Strangely, where we were living when it was introduced, had such a low rateable value, even a single person would have paid more under the community charge!

Was your course a degree course or what would now be classed as Level 3 further education such as A level, Btec Level 2 or 3 NVQ I think they were then? Degree students had to pay a percentage.

We did Right to Buy and I've paid my mortgage off over 20 years and still live in the property. So we haven't cashed in. No way would I give back to the council on our deaths. Weve worked hard for that house and I may need it's equity in later life
We would have bought elsewhere at the tim but there was no chance. We were both working and paying full rent. We were priced out, the private houses were just too expensive and we couldn't save enough deposit as we had no slush funds. Ironically, when we got our mortgage the monthly payment was half the amount of rent, so we then had spare cash. It was help to buy for private properties which was needed just like its needed now leaving the council owned properties to those starting out on low wages

Under the old ratés system, based on the notional rateable value of a house, a single elderly person paid the same as a family with 3 adult children all working. I can remember at the time Michael Hestletine paid less in rates on his Georgian town house than we did on our poxy 3-bed in Timperley.
The rates system had massive inequalities, especially where people could vote for expensive local policies for which they paid absolutely nothing.

I remember getting a poll tax exemption letter from my university - around 1993/4 I think - so I never had to pay it.

It was for the same things that your council tax is used for, but rather than it being one bill per household, it was charged per person. I remember at 16 and working being suddenly asked to pay poll tax an not understanding what it was for

Poll tax was replaced by council tax in 1993 and students were exempt from that. I started university in 1993.

The Conservatives may have made a massive assumption that landlords would reduce their rent by the same amount as their tenant’s poll tax, as landlords no longer had a rates bill to pay. Obviously this did not happen. So landlords were made better off and renters poorer. And we are not talking small sums here.

Yes I lived in private rentals - beds it’s and flat shares and rates were something you never had to think about.

Another reason for mass non payment is because, previous, local authority tenants had their rates added to their rent and it was a single payment and paid through your rent book. You couldn’t not pay without not paying your full rent. Once community charge was introduced, it was a completely separate bill, so you could be completely up to date with your rent without paying the community charge.

I was in Uni when it was introduced and students were liable. None of us paid. We all ignored it then in June at the end of the year you just wrote “no longer at this address” on the reminders because we knew we would be at a different address when we came back.

I just looked Purple Person up and I guess I am. Finding out tadpole meaning ‘toad head’ makes me happy 😁

They didn’t! I was a student from 1990 to 1993 and my charge was nil. Some of my neighbours on income support were billed a small amount, can’t remember the exact amount. It’s no real wonder there was so much non-payment!

The poll tax changed my view of the police. There was a protest march in my town, it was supposed to march around the town centre then into the park for a rally. We marched the first segment ok but the police then blocked the route to the high street and held the march for around 15 minutes at the junction, which upset everyone and tempers started fraying. The marchers dispersed by running wildly through the shopping centre and reformed outside the park entrance which the police blocked too. There were hundreds of people filling the street with all the exits blocked by police. The police then charged their 6 horses into the crowd; a crowd of peaceful protesters, we rescued a mother and her child in a pushchair by quickly pulling them into a doorway to stop them being trampled by a horse, it was bloody horrific, lots of people were hurt and i've not trusted the police since.

Are you sure your council knew you were students? You had to apply. They didn’t just know!

I earned £60 per week at the time and had to pay £40 per month towards poll tax. As soon as you were 16 and working...
Deeply unpopular and weighted in favour of the rich

Alternatively, as a single parent I paid half as much under Poll Tax than I had previously.

They didn’t! I was a student from 1990 to 1993 and my charge was nil

I was a student from 1990-93 and am quite sure I had to pay a reduced amount. I couldn't have told you what proportion. The 20% came from Wikipaedia (admittedly not the best source, but more reliable than individual memory I think)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poll_tax_(Great_Britain)

I know many students didn't pay though.

Wasn't there a difference depending on what accommodation you were living in, eg Halls of Residence vs Uni owned private flats vs private rented housing or with family?

Wasn't there a difference depending on what accommodation you were living in, eg Halls of Residence vs Uni owned private flats vs private rented housing or with family?

Don't know. I was in University (actually, Oxbridge college) accommodation. Initially just a bedroom in College. Then a shared flat off main site but still College owned.

20% rings a bell with me too.

I know I was expected to pay as a student because I initially didn't as part of the protest, but then my bank account was frozen until I paid it - not sure how they managed that! So I'd no choice but to pay.
This was in Scotland if that makes a difference.

They were sending letters to everyone at the Uni halls. They knew. Students were not exempt when it first came in in 1990.

20% rings a bell. It was not a complete exemption.