council tax consultation

[buggyRunner]

we've just had a questionnaire through about council tax.

basically saying do you want to cut council tax benefits and keep tax your paying the same or do you want a 1.7% increase and keep everything the same for people on discounts.

I don't want an increase, it would mean we have to pay more than the 2.5k were already paying which will mean sacrifices.

aibu?

Erk, I'm very glad I live in Scotland. Our Council Tax has been frozen since 2007 iirc.

No I'm not flush with cash sadly! I live in a borough with one of the lowest council tax rates in the country so it could go up - I remember seeing a calculation in council leaflets about it. Instead we've had massive cuts to youth services amongst other things (it's a tory council).

'No, niceguy, I don't believe that anyone on JSA, IS or ESA should not be entitled to bite in a general election.

That is not the same 'logic' at all.'

It isn't? Many of them paid into the system for years, just like those others who live off state benefits . . . oh, yes, pensioners! So if you're going to apply the no vote if you're on state benefit, then shouldn't it apply to them, too?

Interesting. Our consultation leaflet was about how should the council tax benefit amount be reduced. So about should everyone of working age contribute (they were talking £4/week), or should those on low incomes be protected etc.

No mention of the level of rise if the number of discounts isn't decreased!

Sounds like every council are approaching it differently - maybe depending on the demographic of their area?

Each council is proposing their own ideas - different councils will do different things.

And I would pay £42 extra.

Did I read that right 2.5 k council tax, thats mad

i would pay £300-500 more which is crippling.

no mention of charges on second homes even though i'm in an area full of them - that's very frustrating!

Expat, it's not a vote! People who don't pay full council tax would still have the right to vote ffs!

Its a consultation about whether council tax should be raised or not. I'd be interested to know why people who don't have to struggle to pay full council tax should be given as much weight to their opinion as people who do have to struggle to pay full council tax. It's not going to affect them. And if they really don't like the result of the consultation, then they can use their vote to make their voices heard.

And I'm not talking about people on benefits anyway. Discounts are included too. You don't have to be on any benefits at all to get single person discount. You could be a millionaire.

So OP can pay £42 extra a year or themysterycat can pay £300-500 extra a year....

That's my mind made up.

Outraged I don't think you're making sense. If you're going to only allow certain people a say in how the changes are made, then you really need to be looking at what % of income people are spending on council tax. So if someone making £10,000 a year pays £500 council tax (after discounts) then that's 5%

Whereas if someone making £100,000 a year pays £2000 council tax then that's 2%. So surely they should be LESS entitled to a say because it will affect them less.

'I'd be interested to know why people who don't have to struggle to pay full council tax should be given as much weight to their opinion as people who do have to struggle to pay full council tax. It's not going to affect them.'

It will when they get a job! And I guess you mean students, too. They don't pay at all if they're full-time.

what is also difficult is that the area where i live is approx 60-70% older people,who this won't affect. the local authority is really going to struggle to raise the funds to deal with the cuts from central government.

sadly, it's the local working class families who will end up worst hit, whilst the rich second home owners won't get touched.

Percentage of income is irrelevant. If someone is paying the full amount they are required to pay, as set by the council, without benefits or discounts, then they have an equal stake in the outcome of the consultation.

Someone whose council tax is paid be central government, or who is wealthy and living in a four bed house but gets a huge 25% discount, isn't going to struggle with an increase.

The people who are affected by the changes the most should be the ones that have the most say.

"Its a consultation about whether council tax should be raised or not. I'd be interested to know why people who don't have to struggle to pay full council tax should be given as much weight to their opinion as people who do have to struggle to pay full council tax. It's not going to affect them. And if they really don't like the result of the consultation, then they can use their vote to make their voices heard."

Because they will lose their council tax benefit and will have to pay. This could mean going cold or hungry. I think that's a big deal, don't you?

It's fairly obvious what their opinion would be in those cases then without asking wouldn't it?

What about the people who already struggle to pay without a discount? As hey are already paying, and already struggling, I think their opinions should be given the most attention.

Outraged - people who are getting help with council tax might still be struggling to pay it. We live in a democracy - which means we get to take part in making democratic decisions about all sorts of things which don't affect us. Should healthy people have no say in what happens with the NHS? Should childless people have no say about what happens with education??

Council tax inflations might not affect those who don't pay it - but similarly council cuts won't affect the better off as much.

So, outraged, if you qualified for £100 council tax benefit then you'd be happy to not be included in the consultation. Even if the consultation was about discounts and the rest of the amount you have to pay?

X posts - and what about those who are struggling and are being supported by Council services which might be at risk??

Why should people pay more for a second home, surely the council tax should reflect the services the councils provide . Having 2 or more homes should not increase the tax imo. p.s I dont pay council tax.

Gin, they should have some say, but not as much as the people who are already affected and therefore are more likely to know a bit about it. But then the groups of people you mention can know more about these things because of their work, in which case, they should be included because they will have an opinion which is worth something.

Jolly, yes, I would. I'd be glad that someone else was paying my share of contributions towards police, roads, refuse collections etc and and that these services weren't going without because of me and I would accept it gracefully.

bureni - because second homes push up house prices leaving more people in short term social housing at HUGE cost to the council ....

Gin, that woudo be a separate consultation. This one is about what people contribute, not about what people take.

It's also about people who cannot afford to contribute who will be forced to pay when they cannot afford to. I think they should be able to explain what this would mean for them. My friend, who is working on the minimum wage, will be £200 a year worse off.

I think everyone should pay some council tax, even those on benefits. We all use council services, everyone gets their rubbish collected and a lot of the time people on benefits are more likely to use council services (which they will get for free because they are on benefits) than others. So, if we are all in this together, then certainly everyone should pay.

What they should be doing is getting more tax out of landlords or introducing a land value tax. That way people who have benefited from house price rises and are getting unearned income have to pay more. But this will be unpopular in Westminster seeing how many MP's are landlords, have inherited their wealth or are just greedy pigs.