Council tax very unfair to single people

[Lettuceandtomatoes]

The council tax for my area is £1800 full whack, a single person 25% off. I pay £140 a month which is ok until I realised the three adults next door are paying £60 pounds each and a couple paying £90 each. So why this inequality aimed at single people, picking up the tab?

Or decreases the risk as there’s more a chance of something being spotted and brought under control sooner?

I wonder this as well, especially with the increase in numbers of single parent families and single adult living.

we were a single parent family when poll tax was brought in, and it was a massive relief to my mum as poll tax for one person was far less than what had been before.

as for council tax- I found a really shitty loophole once when I was a student. My sister needed somewhere to live and I needed a flatmate, so she moved in with me. I was exempt council tax as a student, she was exempt as she was on Jobseeker’s Allowance. However, as she was living with “family”, family were expected to pay the council tax, which meant I was now liable for the full amount of council tax.

You need a meter then

See I think it is fair that loving alone gets you a discount but that we don't pay per adult. Surely if you can afford to live alone, statically you're more likely to be wealthy than people loving in a shared house?
And considering there isnt enough housing in the country and house prices are nuts I can see why there aren't incentives to encourage people to love alone. Seems perfectly fair to me.
OP if you don't like it you could always get a lodger.

Not sure if it's been mentioned but in Ireland we pay Local Property Tax (LPT). It doesn't include the collection of waste disposal mind. I pay €25 a month LPT on a €300k house and €30 a month for bins (in GBP, £45 total). You guys are fleeced. Oh, and no water bills - we took to the streets over that and they rescinded bringing them in!

Your household is still having the bins emptied as often as theirs, the street lights benefit you as much as them etc etc… your receiving 100% if the benefit so be grateful you only pay 75%. Are you saying we should try to bring back poll tax??? We all know how that went.

Straws….clutching 😂

Life is hard for single people. Council tax, bills, renting (let alone buying). Weddings, holidays abroad, eating out, weekends... society has not got our back!

Nice for some

Plenty of families with only one earner, they are paying more than you as they are supporting 2 adults and multiple children on one wage! Yes, this is me, so don't feel too hard done by.

This with bells on @Lettuceandtomatoes

So 4 adults earning 20grand each should pay 4 times the amount of 1 person earning 200,000 a year?
And there wasnt a discount for students- i was one at the time.

How on earth do you know my circumstances?

You could always get a job? Or your partner-don't wish to presume there!

It does seem unfair and it is the same for single people trying to rent or buy a property as so much harder to get on the property ladder. Thank god that people here in Ireland resisted and marched against the water charges or we would have yet another huge bill here.

Why not scrap the whole thing, increase tax at the 100k+ and add more bandings above that and share the proceeds locally according to levels of need. Job done.

Because you said "society has not got OUR backs" after mentioning single people. Calm your tits love.

I didn’t say that. You are confused

You can say that again. So, so tiresome.

I won't get into our specific circumstances but we'd rather have a parent at home with our young children and we have enough money to live to a decent standard. But yes, I get your point - we do have a choice to bring in more money if we wanted to reduce our outgoings per adult.

Here is why I hate it. My recent council tax letter showed that the majority goes on adult social care at 75%.

Council tax is £170 pm

House A has 2 working adults theyv
pay £170pm or £85per person per month

House B has single working person paying £127.50 with discount

So let's say everything like bin, fire etc is covered by 25% since we know 75% goes on adult care.

This means

House A breaks down to £42.5 (21.25 per person) for bins etc and £127.50 (62.5 per person) for adult care

House B breaks down to £31.85 for bins etc and £95.62 for adult care

Both Houses get old and need adult care

House A Both adults get care but on per person basis have paid less for the same service where House B has paid more and gets the same adult care.

So yes for me in my council area a single person is screwed over and paying more for the same service! Now this example is where the majority of council tax is spent on adult social care so it could differ in other councils.

You stay in a hotel, your room bill is not halved. You still use the bed, bathroom which all need cleaning. It's a bit like that I always think

I've just checked and I wasn't even saying this to you!!

It's very difficult to make it a per-person tax (and we all know the recent history of that - or if you don't, ask your parents).

Properties are much easier to record and track than people, especially in areas with more transitory populations. Those areas tend to be poorer - and would be subject to the highest rates of evasion.

As a tax, it is means tested to an extent - people in more valuable properties pay more, and those on low incomes get relief.

The big problem is that most people resent paying it. That wouldn't change with any other mode of taxation. And it wouldn't change the fact that the services we all complain about need adequate funding.

Totally agree. Single people are disadvantaged the tax system generally.

I'm a high earner, if I said my salary and that I'm struggling a bit I'd get flamed on here. But if my gross income was split between two people eg £35+£35k my household would have more than £500 more a month more take home because of two personal allowances, plus full child benefit on top tax free. It's not fair.