Downing Street Says » Council Tax

Asked if the PMOS recognised the front page stories today about council tax, the PMOS said people would not know the position on council tax until the end of next month, and that was the usual pattern of these things. It was part of the annual ritual that we had stories like this before we knew the final figures. What we had said was that our expectation was that the increase in most council tax bills should be below 5%, and if necessary, we were prepared to use our capping powers.

Asked if we were ever going to see an end to the annual ritual of council tax bills going up beyond the rate of inflation, the PMOS said that we had increased our grant from central Government by above the rate of inflation. We had also seen a trend in the last few years of the rate of increase of council tax bills going down, and we had made it clear that we believed that that trend should continue. In terms, however, of local councils, it still remained the position that it was councils that set the rate. The PMOS said he could not get into the party political side of it, but that remained the reality.

8 Comments »

I’m still confused as to how people on a fixed income are supposed to fund these year on year increases that are way above inflation.

The services that we receive from our local council keep shrinking and the bill goes up – now given that they keep saying that they are cutting costs where is all the extra money going?

It looks like Worcester is going to get a 4.9% increase this year – set against an inflation rate of 1.9% [the 1.9% takes into account the hike in taxes and council rates from last year]

I e-mailed my local councillor last year asking questions but didn’t even get an acknowledgment that he had received the e-mail – so this year I shall have to e-mail the Chief Exec of the council under the Freedom of Information Act – that way I’m sure to get a response.
Comment by Roger Huffadine — 20 Feb 2006 on 6:15 pm | Link
All taxes that are NOT based on a percentage of income are immoral and should be abolished…
Comment by Paul — 27 Feb 2006 on 1:08 pm | Link
Roger – I think the extra money is going on lavish and early pensions. Ask your councillor what percentage of the council tax is spent on pensions – and prepare for a shock.
Comment by Mr Pooter — 27 Feb 2006 on 1:33 pm | Link
This Government have created a Property rich cash poor nation, and to tax people ( especially those on fixed and low incomes – yes there are a lot of us!) is grossley unfair. All taxes should be income based, but unfortunately our high living ‘leaders’ do not want to understand this.They are too busy feathering their own nests.
Comment by Fred — 6 Mar 2006 on 9:04 pm | Link
This Government have created a Property rich cash poor nation, and to tax people ( especially those on fixed and low incomes – yes there are a lot of us!) is grossley unfair. All taxes should be income based, but unfortunately our high living ‘leaders’ do not want to understand this.They are too busy feathering their own nests.
Comment by Fred — 6 Mar 2006 on 9:04 pm | Link
What’s with the ‘income’ tax obsession? Why not tax expenditure or capital?

We should tax those with more than 2 kids; target sick old people with homes for extra health taxes; tax parents with school age kids; tax foreign holidays; raise taxes on energy; tax noise polluters; tax plastic bags and non-recylable bottles. Most of all we should tax all those who voted Labour or Conservative because they voted to spend \xA34,000,000,000 on a criminally stupid and ruinous war. The 22% of the electorate who voted Labour should pay double tax until the war ends.

Anyway, why should someone lucky enough to have a fixed income not be taxed? Lucky sods.
Comment by Mr Pooter — 7 Mar 2006 on 11:31 am | Link
Central government spends \xA3150m pa on advertising according to recent source nearly all of this goes to private sector media owners.

Why does the government not spend some of the advertisng expenditure getting its messages to the required audience by using its own very good media source ie local councils, pcts, police authorities.

All these public sector bodies are encouraged to communicate with there community via magazines websites digital signage exhibitions. These are a ready made media that the governemnt can tap into and save the taxpayer a fortune.

Try it. Ring your council, ask for the communications manager or equivalent and ask the person ‘In your regular magazine would you be happy to take advertisng for campaign from central government’ They’ll snatch your hand.

Government needs to be better organised to use its own resources and save the taxpayer or at least fund improved services.
Comment by richard longworth — 20 Sep 2006 on 11:21 am | Link
i thinkthe elderly shouldnt pay council tax
Comment by steph — 18 May 2007 on 9:32 am | Link

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» Monday, February 20, 2006

Council Tax

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