Council Tax

[EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime]

Does Labour plan to scrap the single person council tax discount?

I suggest that if this is not on Labour's agenda they unequivocally put peoples mind at rest. Just a thought.

The services provided by councils are abysmal. They need to raise the standard of services BEFORE they even think of tampering with cost.

Anything else in life if you pay more you expect a better service. A flat council tax for everyone (no exemptions) would be fairer and easier to administer. If that isn't viable it should be paid proportionate to the counvcil services an individual uses.

Funny how you never see any articles about the MPs taking a hit like no more fucking expenses on your second home! No more subsidised lunches.

IF they take this discount away I will be no longer be supportive of any increase for any other group like childcare, benefits etc. My empayhy and aymoathy will be zero. Single people are the hardest hit get naff all help and pay for everyone else's choices and every bloody year listen to everyone demanding more help whilst noone advocates for the single person who deserves help too.

@Just4thisthreadtoday you don't have to tell me what labour are like, I live in Wales and have put up with their stupidity for decades.

I was hoping that Starmer might not be as bad as his Welsh AMs but alas here we are.......

It comes as no surprise. The state the country is currently in can not be improved without more people paying tax. It is easy to go after people who already use PAYE and more difficult and resource intense to go after people who hide their income or who play the system.
No matter what Labour said during the election taxes are going to rise and life is going to get exceptionally tough for those who have little disposable income and even more tough for people who can not make anymore cutbacks or work more, pensioners, single parents/single people who own/rent homes.
I have suggested to single friends to look into claiming Universal Credit if taxes rise as they may well qualify.

Life is already so hard for most people. How much more misery can people take. People can't afford to live as it is...people simply don't earn enough to absorb any more tax increases.

I work on a council school run and some parents could take their own children, but often there are lots of reasons they can't. It costs a fortune, but not a reason to cut money from people who live alone ( for whatever reason )

But what is the alternative? We carry on letting all public services decline? Rich people will just spend their way out of that, and poorer people will be impacted again.

People can't afford to live now. Where does this end...at what point will the government realise they can't squeeze another penny out of the struggling people in this country

Public services won't magically improve because widowers / widows or single folk pay 25 percent more council tax
Anyone believing that is delusional ( and no I didn't vote conservative and never have )

@PandoraSox

So it won't impact you.

those of us it would impact are allowed to discuss things.

Public services where I live are already decimated. There is not a lot left to close. There is another thread talking about the demise of areas. It is happening all over. Something radical needs to happen. Working people are almost at the point where they can not just keep giving. Go to work, come home, pay bills. That is no way to live for an extended period of time. That way of living is guaranteed to give you mental health issues.

There needs to be a serious review of every system and we the public need to come together and decided what is important and should be kept free (covered by taxes) and what needs to be paid for privately. If we let rich people solely make those decisions, life for poorer people will get infinitely worse.

Yes...here we are.😢

Labour said they wouldn't increase taxes , not sure why I believed them tbh as all politicians lie and this isn't any different

Where did I say it shouldn't be discussed? I just don't like scaremongering that worries people possibly unnecessarily.

It will be interesting to revisit this thread after the budget and see what happens in reality. Perhaps the discount will be abolished for higher CT bands, but I can't see it being abolished completely.

Let's see.

This. The government's false promise of being in the service of working people was a lie...there isn't anything else left to take away from people apart from the state pension and they will be after that next.

In my book Maggie Thatcher had it right, every adult should pay the same to contribute to local services. I don't get why a single old lady shoumd have to pay more than 4 working age adults in one household.

If there was a poll tax in place my 26 year old son would be contributing to the council taxes ( rather than just paying me for his keep!)
He could afford this on his current wages if it wasn't an horrendous amount. We pay band d council tax and it a fair amount each month , but maybe it's a good idea, but obviously not for everyone who may not earn much ( or people younger living at home and on minimum wage)

I work supporting others - we have so many that are struggling, regardless of working, age, as everything, everywhere is going up and wages / benefits are just nowhere near catching up the cost of living. We have staff that are helping others get benefits and they have less disposable income than those they are helping with their benefits. We support pensioners who just can't make ends meet and very few have pensions (most do not have good company pensions, due to redundancies, liquidations, just working for someone who failed to provide one) that help those claiming them even reach minimum wage!! Council tax is a shocker for many, as those that pay are increasingly have to pay again for services that should be provided for and just don't exist. Cut the 25% and you have a perfect storm of those not contributing (and yes, not all fail to do so due to choice, but some do) getting more from the state for paying nothing / doing nothing and those paying in just having to pay more and more. We were discussing this recently at work, and said that the high streets will die, as money that pays for a treat will not be there, so gone is the cafe / barber saturated high streets. We are already seeing contributions to food banks and other services, that often provide vital support, dwindling, as thereis / will just be no surplus left. Interesting that MPs have not yet removed their heating subsidy, orn Aremoved that rent allowances when they could and should commute (I favour an MP's hostel block, would save a fortune and might concentrate the mind) and still have subsidised restaurants and canteens. Seems don't do as I do, do as I say and work till you drop, unless you are an MP of course and roll into a far consultancy, or job with your friends!

I think it's quite decent of Labour to screw over everyone instead of just attacking the rich. At least they aren't discriminating.

Yes, the MPs should have their perks taken away ! Agree totally with this too

I thought it’d be bad, but to see the rate at which it’s gone so bad so quickly is quite something!

We are often told ' if you go after the rich they will just emigrate ' so I suppose they are hedging their bets a bit and hope they stay on
It's not right , but you can't often win when it comes down to it ( especially taxes)
So it's the middle / working classes who have to suck it up , again !

In what way?
So far only the WFP cut for some pensioners, winter hardship fund extended.
I posted on pg 1 what Rayner actually said when asked about cutting discount and increasing CT - she gave a one word answer, telling Badenoch it wont be happening, yet all you lot keep getting worked about non existent policies!

Jun'r Doc's strike resolved, our nurses and teachers given a well deserved pay rise, which should help retainment & all in line with the previous Govt pay review body recommendations.

There is plenty to hound Labour over e.g. tuition fees for healthcare students, reform of Ofgem, water pollution, roads without inventing stuff.

I work in local government finance and the single person discount is long overdue being scrapped.

It's claimed falsely by a huge number of people, costs a ridiculous amount to administer and is paid to anyone living alone even if they are a millionaire. The money currently spent on SPD (nearly £20 million in my council) would be better spent on either reducing everyone's council tax or making the council tax benefit system more generous and allowing those on moderate and medium earnings to have a reduction. The current situation could see a household with one working adult with an annual income of £30k paying more than a single occupant earning £100k which is hardly fair.

If it was scrapped I doubt it would happen overnight more likely the 25% would be reduced by 5% a year or something similar.