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.

@HeddaGarbledMy parents rented and also paid rates. I don’t think it was just homeowners.

The services aren't the same though. If you look at education and social care needs, they are the highest LA expenditure across England and Wales, your neighbours are likely using and benefitting far more than you do under the current system.

there are all sorts of discount / exemptions you can apply for

I don’t understand why you keep saying you don’t own it… council tax is payable by the occupier who (at least theoretically) consumes the services. Are you saying because you rent you shouldn’t contribute towards having your bins collected, local roads,other council services? That makes no sense.

So you don’t have your bins collected?

Every single tax except income tax. It’s literally the only fair way to make people pay their share, but every government is scared to increase it.

Council tax seems to be a ticking time bomb.

The number of school pupils with EHCPs has risen by 71% between 2018 and 2024.

School transport for SEND is nearly £2 billion per annum.

My local council's High Needs bill for children is nearly £100m per year.

The county councils network is predicting a "total collapse" unless there are reforms.

In our street of 7 houses, all reasonably similar size... we vary from Band A to Band C.

I'm happy to pay on a per person basis for that.

If I was band C on your road, I would be appealing to be band A.

But they shouldn't and you can ask for a review to check on that - but if you're the A be aware that after an appeal bandings can go up as well as down.

And so can your neighbours....

There’s a road close to me that is split in two mid way down. One is run by one council and the other is run by a second council. One half of the street pays literally double the council tax of the other.

YANBU, and you have made me almost PMSL with this thread title 😆

Joking apart @Upholstery if you're struggling, you can apply for help with council tax. Not sure if you need to be in receipt of housing benefit to apply, but you could try....

That’s the general rule, except when an annexe is created (link and screenshot)

https://valuationoffice.blog.gov.uk/2023/07/13/how-home-improvements-affect-your-council-tax-band/

And for police and fire services? Social care? Libraries and educational services? Roads and transport? Parks and leisure? Registrar services? Social housing? Planning and environmental health? You would pay on a ‘per person’ basis for all of those things? So a call out charge if you had to ring the police, for example? Entry fee to local council run parks and playgrounds? Entry fee to your local library?

Which is why no one is saying anything as one of the Band A properties is a couple in their 80s.

The Cs are probably right (they are newer) the As should probably be Bs.

No, I meant a poll tax. There are two of us we should pay for that. Not the value of a property I don't own.

The wait for an appeal to be recitified is over a year and climbing.

The tax is too high. The streets are overgrown with weeds, the local services are rubbish because there are too many houses and not enough infrastructure to support. Like schools. And building more Houses.

The government manage and take the local business rates this is why the lovely little independent shops in our town have mostly all shut down. Not because no one goes in, but because the business rates are so high, they can't break even or make a profit to justify the shop.

My parents spoke of the poll tax riots. At least the government listened FINALLY. Yes, looking at you, Rachel.

But if you are a single person, then you don’t need a house the same size as a couple or family. It is up to you. If you don’t want to pay the council tax, you could move into a smaller house.

More people in the house doesn't always equate to more use of services.

If my husband lived alone with our children he'd use disposable nappies, cook ready meals, not garden, all producing more rubbish. He'd have to drive more because he wouldn't have the time to walk with the children.

In addition, as a SAHM I home educate my children (saving the cost of school places), and provide free care for some family and friends (saving the council care costs). We go litter picking, again, saving the council money.

In the past my voluntary work has included free EAL lessons and integration supportfor refugees, and mentoring and supporting former gang members in leading new lives which benefit society. Again, saving the council money in the long term.

We're one of only a couple of countries in the world where spouses can't be jointly taxed. This and the way child benefit is means tested make it more expensive to be a SAHM. Poll tax rather than council tax would add even more to this.

And let's remember that we have a housing crisis which would be beloved helped by more house-sharing and intergenerational living, and made worse by more single or small households. Poll tax would be a nudge in the wrong direction!

A couple in a one bed place can split the CT 50/50. I could live in a one bed place that is the same band and have to pay 75% of CT.
I am in a Band B property. Where I live, if I moved to a Band A, I would be saving about £200 per year. Hardly worth it for all the upheaval.
Also, there are places smaller than mine that are higher bands. It makes no sense at times.

Your situation is exceptional, you must realise this. There will never be a tax rule that suits everyone, but it needs to be fair in majority if cases.

Educating the nation should be a national matter as having educated productive individuals is national asset. Councils shouldn’t be responsible for funding education or looking after SEND children nor should it be a post code lottery for funding these children and mainstream schools.

oh our waste bin has just shrunk in size thanks to our council who hasn’t consulted anyone but decided to half the size of our bin and increase council tax. Slow clap…, they had 3 weekly collection proposal at one point - the cheekiness of it all.