Council tax is a c**t

[Upholstery]

What kind of a tax doesn't take account of how much money you have? It's all just a bloody con.

Our council has said outright that the only things that they can fund this year are emptying the bins, social care and SEN provision, plus the quarter of the council’s budget that goes on paying pension contributions. Everything else is gone.

How would paying less tax and reducing revenue improve this situation? Do council employees not deserve pensions? If services are cut/reduced/stretched they arent going to improve if there is even less money available.

Why are people bringing renting into this? Do renters not use public services?

I was referring to what I get.

My children are too old for education, unless you count uni that I’m paying £££££ for.
I’m not elderly. My mum is, and I do all the caring for her myself. Every day.
We have not called the police or fire.
Our street lights are turned off leaving parts of our street in pitch black.
The roads on my estate were surfaced by the house builder a couple of decades ago.

I really do get fuck all for a massive amount of money.

Education is a universal good.
Elderly social care allows their families to go out and work. If your mum needs care look at what's available. Take the strain off
So you only drive on the road outside your house?

You might not be getting much directly but you will be benefiting indirectly

One adult should definitely be 50% discount.

The Council tax isn’t fair to all people. I’m in C a three bedroom semi. My friend is in a one bedroom flat which B And she pays only £300 less a year than me,

How is that fair?

The point is there should be parity across the country. Other councils still have services and their residents are paying half as much or less, band for band. And often it’s the cash-strapped northern councils, in the most deprived areas, that charge the most because their need is greatest. It’s unfair.

That’s not how society works. Children at school now will go into be productive members of society paying taxes when you are claiming a pension. Just because you have had all you what, maternity services, schooling for your children etc it doesn’t mean you get to pull the ladder up after you.

Most people want to know that they can call the fire service or police if needed. Most people recognise that the roads they use need maintaining. Most people want all children to be educated including children with SEND. Most people want safeguarding issues to be investigated both in the cases of children and vulnerable adults. Most people want rubbish collected.
These things cost money. All these services are stretched. With less money they will detiorate further.
Maybe some people dont care about these things unless they are the direct beneficary. I really dont know what to say about that.

And I've lost my single person's discount as my son has just turned 18, and is an "adult". Yeah, right!

https://www.gov.uk/council-tax/discounts-for-full-time-students

Is he at school still? Working? Claiming benefits?

I agree that the system could be modified so it is fairer. All i am saying is that overall revenue levels need to.be maintained. If some people pay less others will need to pay more.

Ooh, that's helpful. Will have a look thank you! (He's in college)

Brilliant, hope it does help

I think if you’re paying rent to a private landlord then the responsibility for CT should rest with the landlord.

Who would then just increase your rent to compensate

I don’t know much about it tbh as I have never rented. But when my parents passed away, I sold their house as I couldn’t be arsed with being a landlord. But if I had kept it and rented it out, then I think I would have been responsible for CT as it would have still been my house?

Nope, it's the people who live there.

Ok. Maybe I would have, as you said earlier, just added the CT to the rent I was charging.

Why do people on benefits get exemptions? So unfair. We need a new style poll tax whereby every adult pays, no exceptions.

Cos that worked so well last time. 🙄

The people who objected where the ones who enjoyed a free ride.

Something has to be done as tax payers have had enough of subsidising the takers.

Because they have low income.

Everyone pays tax.

I agree with you totally.

But the answer to mismanaged tax spending is not to just stop paying taxes as nearly all the rich folks want. It's to better be able to involved in how they are spent.

For all the tiresome bellyaching here, nobody points out that if you get a 35% turnout in a local election it's a miracle. And because I really am a nasty old cynic, I can guarantee that a proportion of the whining here comes from people who have never bothered to engage with their local democracy. And as long as they are happy to continue in that vein, then no system will ever make them happy.

The turnout in my (very loudmouth) ward last council election was 24%. So 76% of the electorate are - by democractic philosophy - happy with the outcome.

Are you saying UC is subject to tax in the same way PAYE is?