Council Tax is charged by each native authority throughout England and Wales. The aim of council tax is to cowl the price of native providers, comparable to refuse assortment. Council tax tends to be a yearly cost however most native authorities break this down into 10 month-to-month quantities, with a two month vacation from council tax funds yearly. The quantity that households pay will depend on a variety of various components, together with particular person circumstances, the worth of the property occupied and the necessities that the council has for earnings to fund its providers.
Who pays council tax?
Everybody pays council tax. Nevertheless, relying in your particular person state of affairs, you could possibly cut back the quantity that you simply’re required to pay. There are particular circumstances through which the price of council tax will likely be lowered, together with the place:
- You’re the one grownup in your property and you reside alone
- You’re on a low earnings, are a scholar or dwell with college students
- You’re in receipt of sure particular advantages, comparable to Jobseeker’s Allowance
- You reside in a bigger property on account of having a incapacity or residing with somebody who has a incapacity
Why will we pay council tax?
The aim of council tax funds is to supply a neighborhood authority with funds to place in the direction of delivering native providers for the group. This covers sensible providers, comparable to native police and hearth forces, garbage assortment, transport and highway upkeep and the administration of occasions comparable to births, deaths and marriages. It additionally supplies funding for extra group centered providers, comparable to libraries and leisure and schooling providers, in addition to the maintenance of native parks and sporting amenities.
How is council tax assessed?
It operates on a collection of bands, from A to H. A is the most affordable council tax band. Typically, the dearer the property is, the extra council tax will likely be charged to the particular person occupying it. In case you suppose that your property is within the unsuitable band it’s price getting it reviewed – some 400,000 households in England and Scotland are within the unsuitable council tax band. The quantity of council tax due additionally varies by location – in England the most affordable common council tax is in Wandsworth, London whereas the most costly is in Elmbridge Surrey.
Council tax is a ‘precedence invoice’
Council tax funds may cause severe issues for native residents, significantly as everyone seems to be required to pay council tax and non-payment can create debt with severe penalties. In case you’re greater than 14 days late paying council tax then you’ll get a letter from the native authority reminding you to pay it. After that you simply’ll have seven days to make the cost and, should you don’t, the council can ask that you simply pay your entire 12 months’s council tax up entrance as an alternative of continuous with the month-to-month repayments. In case you’re not in a position to then chances are you’ll be taken to court docket, which may end up in court-appointed bailiffs coming to your private home, or repayments being taken straight from wages or advantages.
Council tax is rising
Native authority funding cuts by central authorities – of 60% – have meant that council tax has elevated for many individuals. For instance, for these residing in band D properties it has elevated by a mean of £78, or 4.7% in 2019. That is the second largest enhance within the final decade – it’s solely decrease than the 5.1% enhance in 2018. A part of the rise has been attributed to the choice that councils now have to use a 2% enhance to cowl the price of grownup social care. New analysis means that 97% of councils are planning to extend the prices of council tax for native residents in 2019. On the identical time, native providers are set to be slashed in lots of places, from kids’s care providers to repairing potholes within the highway.
Is your native council environment friendly?
It’s troublesome to ascertain definitively the place cash is being most effectively used however larger payments don’t essentially imply that native persons are benefiting from higher providers. The IMPOWER INDEX measures councils on the premise of productiveness, utilizing components comparable to waste and recycling, well being and social care interface and native housing and homelessness. In keeping with this index, Leicestershire and East Driving of Yorkshire have been the best councils for the previous two years. Not one of the London councils, the place tax payments are sometimes excessive, function within the High 10 of the productiveness index.
Council tax is a necessary consideration should you dwell within the UK. How a lot you have to pay will depend upon quite a lot of components, together with location and property kind.
