Council Tax - Its Taxing alright

[Ousetunes]

Originally posted by richynomates

I wonder where the most expensive Band A property is. I once saw a 4bed semi on Broomgrove road - in Council Tax Band A and the asking price was £200,000. Seems strange that a house this size is in the same band as a 1bed flat on City Road. I know it's because of property rises, but surely a change is now needed...

 

.....what? Like the Poll Tax? (Subtle and somewhat pathetic attempt at sarcasm. I'll go a lie down in a dark room now).

[metalman]

Knowing the way these things work, they'll do the revaluation without changing the value of each band, even though property prices have risen enormously. That way everybody will be in Band F or whatever and pay squillions...

[jgharston]

You can find a list of Council Tax leveles for Sheffield at http://www.libdems.f9.co.uk/public/ctax/levels.htm

 

If you're going to tax people locally, you should tax them by a fraction of their income.

 

If you're wedded to taxing their property, then you should tax them by a fraction of the amount spent on that property, ie a fraction of the rent or mortgage.

 

If you're hopelessly wedded to taxing the value of people's property, then you should tax them a fraction of that value.

 

If you're mindlessly hopelessly wedded to taxing the value of people's properties in bands, then those bands should be set individually for each authority and should be set such that each band contains as close to the same number of properties in each band. An approximation for Sheffield can be see at http://www.mdfsnet.f9.co.uk/User/JGH/Docs/Council/Tax/Reform1

 

Only if you're insanely mindlessly hopelessly wedded to the concept would you ever come up with or stick to taxing the value of people's properties in bands that bare no relation to the values of properties in the taxation area.

 

--

JGH

[nick2]

Originally posted by jgharston

You can find a list of Council Tax leveles for Sheffield at http://www.libdems.f9.co.uk/public/ctax/levels.htm

 

 

Judging by that I'm in A when I should be in E.

I bet loads of people in my area are too (my neighbours for a start).

[mega_monty]

Is there actually a limit to what they can charge before people will say I cant afford to pay it

[Cols]

I moved into a new house last year. Within a couple of weeks I had a letter saying that they wanted to reband me up a level. To cut a long story, I appealed against it and won the case. Saved me over £250 per year. Just out of interest, did you just complain to the council or did you complain officially. Council tax banding is nothing to to with the council, it is carried out by a government dept, part of the Inland Revenue. You need to fill in the paperwork and have a genuine reason for complaint. All bandings are based on propery values back in 1991, not 5 years ago. There is a government site where you can find what the properties in your street / bolck of flats sold for and what band they are in. For £2, you can see what your neighbouring properties have sold for in recent years. If a similar property to yours is in a lower banding you can cite that as a reason for appeal. Can't remember the web site but I'll track it down if your interested.

Hope this helps

[sccsux]

Originally posted by MobileB

But at least you get your bins collected for your Council Tax.

 

 

Which is a bit of a standing joke here in our household.

 

There's been 2 adults & 4 kids here (1 left home last year though) for the last 3 years and we've got one of the smallest wheelie bins you could ever imagine (having given up on getting a lerger one - Onyx are not the most responsive of companies I've come across).

 

I have to make at least 3 trips to the tip per week, as the pathetic excuse for a bin is full 2 days after it has been emptied.

 

In fact, our blue bin (paper) holds twice as much as the one we have been allocated for our domestic waste!

[Guest]

I don't mind paying high council tax if I saw the benefits. Not just some new silly traffic scheme.....

 

1 new library book in one of the libraries would be nice....

[muddycoffee]

Originally posted by Swan_Vesta

I live in a one bed flat in Hillsborough and the council have the temerity to charge me £800. Problem is that I fail to see what actual benefit I get from this tax payment........ Bins emptied once a week and thats it!

 

 

Well that's it apart from emergency cover by the fire service, local police at the end of a telephone, streetlights, local infrastructure like supertram, environmental health like vermin control, and people inspecting restraunts for hygene. etc.. etc.. If you don't want to live in a city and pay the CTAX for the privilage, why not move out to the wilds of scotland

[Rob_Roy]

If you don't want to live in a city and pay the CTAX for the privilage, why not move out to the wilds of scotland

 

 

What do you mean by the "wilds of Scotland" (capital S BTW). I live in the "wilds of Scotland" in a 2 bedroomed, 4th floor flat. It costs me £1,750 per year in Council Tax. What is the problem with paying £800 or whatever to live in your great metropolis?