Was the Poll Tax really fair?

[JFKvsNixon 11]

Aren't they all educated abroad, so not paid for out of our tax's.

 

I remember having this conversation with one of MrSmith's incarnations!

[loraward 10]

I remember having this conversation with one of MrSmith's incarnations!

 

One of these days you will really have to tell me who this MrSmith is.

[Hello/Goodby 10]

No, the Poll Tax wasn't fair.

You could have a Man working, living with his wife, bringing up children in a council house paying two lots of Poll Tax for himself AND his wife where a wealthy person living on their own in a mansion paid just one lot. Poll Tax was never fair and that's why it was changed.

[taxman 12]

One of these days you will really have to tell me who this MrSmith is.

 

I don't mind telling you. It's you, and it's tedious and really, really boring

[ricgem2002 11]

No, the Poll Tax wasn't fair.

You could have a Man working, living with his wife, bringing up children in a council house paying two lots of Poll Tax for himself AND his wife where a wealthy person living on their own in a mansion paid just one lot. Poll Tax was never fair and that's why it was changed.

you forgot to mention it was changed because the people of this country stuck up together for something that was unjust. pity we don't do it anymore

[Ms Macbeth 75]

No, the Poll Tax wasn't fair.

You could have a Man working, living with his wife, bringing up children in a council house paying two lots of Poll Tax for himself AND his wife where a wealthy person living on their own in a mansion paid just one lot. Poll Tax was never fair and that's why it was changed.

 

And now we have a couple on an income just above benefits level paying 100% of their council tax bill, whilst their next door neighbour, who earns far more gets 25% knocked off purely because they are a single occupier.

 

A fairer system (IMO) would be a local income tax. Collected via HMRC, and redistributed to the local authorities. It could also cut the cost of local authority administration.

 

Taking those with seriously valuable properties out of the equation, there has always been some resentment that those whose priority is to buy the best house they can afford are clobbered by council tax compared to people on similar incomes whose spending choices are different. The community charge would seem fairer in that respect. However the charges are levied, there has never been a system of rates, community charge (Poll Tax), or council tax that has seemed fair to everyone.

[ricgem2002 11]

And now we have a couple on an income just above benefits level paying 100% of their council tax bill, whilst their next door neighbour, who earns far more gets 25% knocked off purely because they are a single occupier.

and we have hundreds of students living in private rented housing who pay nothing. so again council taxpayers not only get put upon but are also subsidising people making money out of renting their houses

[JFKvsNixon 11]

and we have hundreds of students living in private rented housing who pay nothing. so again council taxpayers not only get put upon but are also subsidising people making money out of renting their houses

 

Students often have two residences, their university one and their family home. It's not unusual for students to go home most weekends, and that's ignoring the long holidays, so who should they pay their council tax towards?

[ricgem2002 11]

Students often have two residences, their university one and their family home. It's not unusual for students to go home most weekends, and that's ignoring the long holidays, so who should they pay their council tax towards?

the one where they live and use the services (their family home is probably paid for by their parents) but then again you think its ok for private landlords whos tenants using services should be paid for by the rest of us.

[I1L2T3 10]

And now we have a couple on an income just above benefits level paying 100% of their council tax bill, whilst their next door neighbour, who earns far more gets 25% knocked off purely because they are a single occupier.

 

A fairer system (IMO) would be a local income tax. Collected via HMRC, and redistributed to the local authorities. It could also cut the cost of local authority administration.

 

Taking those with seriously valuable properties out of the equation, there has always been some resentment that those whose priority is to buy the best house they can afford are clobbered by council tax compared to people on similar incomes whose spending choices are different. The community charge would seem fairer in that respect. However the charges are levied, there has never been a system of rates, community charge (Poll Tax), or council tax that has seemed fair to everyone.

 

Like the local income tax idea. Be interesting to see some costings.

[*_ash_* 88]

Students often have two residences, their university one and their family home. It's not unusual for students to go home most weekends, and that's ignoring the long holidays, so who should they pay their council tax towards?

 

the one where they live and use the services (their family home is probably paid for by their parents) but then again you think its ok for private landlords whos tenants using services should be paid for by the rest of us.

 

Good points, and to answer both, make Student Landlord's pay the tax, and pass the expense on through higher rent.

 

Then again, this would also be unpopular (certainly amongst students, and the popularity of the private landlords).

 

And now we have a couple on an income just above benefits level paying 100% of their council tax bill, whilst their next door neighbour, who earns far more gets 25% knocked off purely because they are a single occupier.

 

Precisely. As I see it, the current Council Tax is just a slightly fairer way than the Poll Tax (as a whole). It's far from perfect though.

[JFKvsNixon 11]

the one where they live and use the services (their family home is probably paid for by their parents) but then again you think its ok for private landlords whos tenants using services should be paid for by the rest of us.

 

I don't know if you missed it but I was saying that many students live in two homes, so they'd be using services in two homes.

 

Also if you're going to make up things that I believe, you could be a little more creative, or maybe you could just stop making things up? Would that be too much?

 

Anyway, back on topic, isn't the tenant liable for the council tax when they rent?