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Council Tax - Its Taxing alright


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Am I alone in my grievance with the council tax banding system in Sheffield? Its sheer lunacy.

 

I recently sold a six bedroom house in hunters bar for £285,000. This house was a band C. I then moved into a two bedroom flat in broomhill for which I paid £199,000. The banding on this was E! That basically equates to £195 per month. Its daylight robbery.

 

I wrote to the SCC arbitration unit and, quell surprise, they refused to budge on the matter. They cited what the flat was worth five years ago etc etc and said it was in keeping with prices in the area. I pointed out the banding on my old house, but they said this was irrelevant. I failed to see how exactly, but hey, does anybody EVER convince the council to change there mind about anything? Do complaint departments simply exist to be seen and nothing else?

 

All I know is I am now paying an extra hundred pounds a month for a place one mile up the road and 3 times smaller than where I used to live. I also know that council tax charges have almost double in the last few years. And for what? I have noticed anything superior in public service provision in Sheffield to even vaguely justify it. It’s an insult.

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Originally posted by mikebayly

Am I alone in my grievance with the council tax banding system in Sheffield? Its sheer lunacy.

 

I recently sold a six bedroom house in hunters bar for £285,000. This house was a band C. I then moved into a two bedroom flat in broomhill for which I paid £199,000. The banding on this was E! That basically equates to £195 per month. Its daylight robbery.

 

I wrote to the SCC arbitration unit and, quell surprise, they refused to budge on the matter. They cited what the flat was worth five years ago etc etc and said it was in keeping with prices in the area. I pointed out the banding on my old house, but they said this was irrelevant. I failed to see how exactly, but hey, does anybody EVER convince the council to change there mind about anything? Do complaint departments simply exist to be seen and nothing else?

 

All I know is I am now paying an extra hundred pounds a month for a place one mile up the road and 3 times smaller than where I used to live. I also know that council tax charges have almost double in the last few years. And for what? I have noticed anything superior in public service provision in Sheffield to even vaguely justify it. It’s an insult.

 

Band A is expensive enough at 700-800 quid a year. The other bands are just extortionate. The whole system which is based on the prices of houses in 1991 (correct me if I've got the year wrong) needs revamping seriously.

 

I can't imagine ever being able to afford to move into a house that wasn't in band A.

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What really annoys me, and on this subject I could spout forth ad infinitum, is that they are building flats, apartments and houses on any inch of land they can find. These owners or tenants will then contribute to Council Tax. That must bring in a huge amount of money that simply wasn't there five years ago.

 

This is never mentioned in the leaflet that accompanies our over-inflated Council Tax statements. Like a business that folds if it doesn't sort its finances out, the council should be answerable to the electorate and should be made to explain precisely how and on what the money has been squandered.

 

With the recently published Personal Expenses figures, we all have a pretty good idea, don't we? (But no doubt they'll tell us that 'that money comes from another budget' etc, etc, - yawn - etc..).

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Mike Bayly ...... the situation you talk about is not set up by Sheffield City Council. It is the law and would have happened in any local authority. Your tax on the old property was based on a valuation some years ago. If the property you bought was new build or had been substantially improved since the last revaluation then the Council tax would reflect that.

 

It may seem unfair but it's the same rule for everybody and something which should be considered when moving house. It might be a good idea if estate agents leaflets had to show the council tax banding of each property they sold so that there was no nasty shocks.

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"I then moved into a two bedroom flat in broomhill for which I paid £199,000"

 

WHAT ! Somebody in Broomhill pays council tax, that's a first, I thought it was all 0 rated student flats getting a freebie.

 

That's why you're band E, you've gotta pay for all your nieghbours.

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