Council Tax Reassessment

[yesman]

With the up and coming election, (to be announced on Monday, so I am lead to believe), the council tax payments by us are to be reassessed.

The following is the worrying bit....

The last check was carried out in 1991 when the average UK house price was £73,000. It is now just under £180,000.
The BBC's John Andrew said only homes which had risen in value by more than the national average would be moved into a higher tax bracket.

So that is most of us then

Time to put the cross in another box when the time comes methinks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4399433.stm

[sollp]

Originally Posted by yesman

With the up and coming election, (to be announced on Monday, so I am lead to believe), the council tax payments by us are to be reassessed.

The following is the worrying bit....


So that is most of us then

Time to put the cross in another box when the time comes methinks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4399433.stm

I quite like the idea of having to pay more tax since i'm obviously rolling in spare dosh!

Originally Posted by yesman

With the up and coming election, (to be announced on Monday, so I am lead to believe), the council tax payments by us are to be reassessed.

The following is the worrying bit....


So that is most of us then

Time to put the cross in another box when the time comes methinks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4399433.stm

How can MOST have gone up by more than the national average?? Its an average of the increases.

Funilly enough i was reading what happened in Wales. something like 58% stayed the same, 8% went down a band and the other 34% went up a band. And the government say that is not a cash raising exercise. ******** to that Tony!!

In places like Cardiff 64% went up a band

[MetaWraith]

Originally Posted by sollp

I quite like the idea of having to pay more tax since i'm obviously rolling in spare dosh!

A new member with only 5 posts and already well into the type of sarcasm that can be found sprinkled throughout this forum. You'll fit right in.

Welcome btw.

[Nikko]

Maggie's arrogance over the Poll Tax cost her the Government.

Tony appears not to have picked up on this and I sincerely hope he will go the same way. Enough.

[Maggy J]

Originally Posted by Nikko

Maggie's arrogance over the Poll Tax cost her the Government.

Tony appears not to have picked up on this and I sincerely hope he will go the same way. Enough.

Well Labour or Tory these taxes were always on the cards to be updated eventually....Even the Tories can't deny it makes fiscal sense..even if I don't like it...

Drat! I no sooner get ahead of the game then something pulls me backwards.

[me283]

Originally Posted by Nikko

Maggie's arrogance over the Poll Tax cost her the Government.

Tony appears not to have picked up on this and I sincerely hope he will go the same way. Enough.

I think Tone believes he is untouchable. And anyway, it seems to me he cares less and less about this country and it's people, and sees himself as a potential "President of Europe".

Anyway, that aside I think the Council Tax is ludicrous. We are supposedly paying for services out of this money, yet those services are all too often short of the mark. But unlike other services that we pay for (gas, electricity etc) there is no option to go to a different supplier. So, at the end of the day they will charge what they like, and us poor mugs have to pay it.

Anyone know what impact this reassesment will have on the bands. Is it they will go up proportionally dependent upon what the national average increase in house value is? Or that they won't change. It doesn't seem very clear from that report (it is late mind you and my mind is rapidly failing) - how was it done in Wales?

[andygrif]

Originally Posted by yesman

With the up and coming election, (to be announced on Monday, so I am lead to believe), the council tax payments by us are to be reassessed

These will affect Council Tax bills for 2007 onwards as I understand it.

Originally Posted by gary_580

How can MOST have gone up by more than the national average?? Its an average of the increases.

I am glad you said that. I did laugh when I read it first time!

Originally Posted by yesman

In places like Cardiff 64% went up a band

I think it is important to note that there is a difference between the banding of your house and the cost of your council tax. The annual budget will stay the same, so this isn't a way of taking more money, although it's very likely that more in the South East of England will have a higher than average number of changes in the banding of homes.

I can't believe I'm being that pragmatic about this....our coucil tax is terrible here. I got the council to send me the figures. When I moved in this house in 1997 the annual amount was under £700 pa. It's now well over £1,700 pa.

Originally Posted by Nikko

Maggie's arrogance over the Poll Tax cost her the Government.

And of course the Lib Dems would like a local income tax precept...which is in effect a Poll Tax. Funny how it all comes around again isn't it?

Originally Posted by me283

Anyway, that aside I think the Council Tax is ludicrous. We are supposedly paying for services out of this money, yet those services are all too often short of the mark. But unlike other services that we pay for (gas, electricity etc) there is no option to go to a different supplier. So, at the end of the day they will charge what they like, and us poor mugs have to pay it.

Whilst I agree very much with what you're saying, it is extremely important to know that the largest reason for inordinate council tax increases over the last few years has actually come from Central Government.

Departments have been de-centralised under Labour, forcing local government to take over responsibility for many roles. However, Cental Government has not provided the funding for this to happen, hiring of staff, etc etc etc. That's one reason why Counil Tax now offers such poor value for money. And that's why essential services are being slashed.

here, last October, they decided to cut our refuse collections in half. Now we have recycling one week, refuse the next. the current targets for recycling is set at around 10%, yet we have our household waste collections cut by 50%. Go figure!

Originally Posted by andyl

Anyone know what impact this reassesment will have on the bands.

I guess we won't know until the numbers are in (safely after the election of course).

Originally Posted by andygrif

And of course the Lib Dems would like a local income tax precept...which is in effect a Poll Tax. Funny how it all comes around again isn't it?

Fundamental difference is ability to pay. Income Tax is based, er, on income ( ) whilst the Poll Tax was based on residence.

I guess we won't know until the numbers are in (safely after the election of course).

Cynic!

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by me283

I think Tone believes he is untouchable. And anyway, it seems to me he cares less and less about this country and it's people, and sees himself as a potential "President of Europe".

Anyway, that aside I think the Council Tax is ludicrous. We are supposedly paying for services out of this money, yet those services are all too often short of the mark. But unlike other services that we pay for (gas, electricity etc) there is no option to go to a different supplier. So, at the end of the day they will charge what they like, and us poor mugs have to pay it.

Perhaps we should privatize all the services you get from the local council

We've still not sorted the other botched privatizations yet (bloody central trains), come on.

[Flubflow]

The people it will hit hardest are those just above the benefits level who moved into a cheap house on the lowest tax band in a rundown area many years ago but which has recently been massively "regenerated" and hence pushed up the value of houses in that area so much above the new average that it jumps up a couple of tax bands. The same people in the same old house will suddenly end up paying much much more for exactly the same old services as before. The goverment recognise that this is going to be a sticky problem and have already tried to avoid possible anarchy by introducing a "transitional relief" (which merely gives you chance to sell your children so you can afford to pay when the "transition" is over and the full wack kicks in).

It really is a bizarre tax. The value of the local services you pay for use of is not directly related to the equity of the building you own or rent. It can be, if you are very selective in your logic, but it mostly isn't.

[me283]

Originally Posted by andygrif

And of course the Lib Dems would like a local income tax precept...which is in effect a Poll Tax. Funny how it all comes around again isn't it?



Whilst I agree very much with what you're saying, it is extremely important to know that the largest reason for inordinate council tax increases over the last few years has actually come from Central Government.

Departments have been de-centralised under Labour, forcing local government to take over responsibility for many roles. However, Cental Government has not provided the funding for this to happen, hiring of staff, etc etc etc. That's one reason why Counil Tax now offers such poor value for money. And that's why essential services are being slashed.

Excellent point. I guess this yet another stealth tax by our Government. I recall looking at my Council Tax bill a year or so back, and seeing that the contribution to the Police had gone up by 45%... whilst Police services were being cut back . Oddly enough I debated this with a copper at the time, who was stood by the roadside with a camera (I explained that I would happily pay 1000% more if crime were being effectively tackled, but objected to paying a penny for someone to stand by the road taking photos).

As for the Poll Tax, well that's really ancient history. But I guess the Tories are always a soft target. The fact is that this Government has had 8 years to sort out whatever they inherited; in apparently doing so, we are now more highly taxed, with chronically declining services. I don't know if the Tories would do any better (they certainly couldn't do worse!), and the Lib Dems just concern me in general, but the bottom line is that the good old homeowner is hit again.
__________________

Originally Posted by Shaun

Perhaps we should privatize all the services you get from the local council

We've still not sorted the other botched privatizations yet (bloody central trains), come on.

I'm not sure that is the best answer, but in some cases it might work. At least with privatised industries you have the option of choice in many cases (electricity for example), and also the opportunity to know that someone somewhere is answerable if and when things go wrong.

The trains certainly aren't a good example of privatisation, although I'm not so sure they wee that efficient before privatisation either!

Refuse collection has been hit on earlier in tis thread. Maybe that is an area that would benefit from privatisation?

I guess it would be less of a problem if one could actually get some kind of "value for money". What I am trying to say is that, to quote an earlier example, when refuse collection is cut by 50% there is no explanation or justification; and yet I would bet that the cost of this reduced service was not reduced in line?

[yesman]

Originally Posted by andygrif

These will affect Council Tax bills for 2007 onwards as I understand it.

That is correct, the news report does say that, I assume you did read it.

I am glad you said that. I did laugh when I read it first time!

Lets all hope you are still laughing come 2007 when your reassessed bills drop on your mat.

So that is most of us then

What was mean't by that is we are all likely to be hit with higher bills, I cannot see many properties being downgraded or staying the same, whether it is the national average or not.

This council tax reassessment cannot be blamed on the government, it is a process that is being done because it is due; valuations on properties have changed. Our own property has gone up substantially in value and no doubt we will be paying more, we have a Conservative ruled council which has just increased council tax by 5%, we also have a Conservative ruled county council which is rushing around putting up speed cameras everywhere.

Fact is people have been enjoying a market with low interest rates, demand for property has been high, property prises have risen this therefore cannot be blamed on the government.