Scrap Council Tax

Click here to download the Local Services Tax Calculator (updated April 2006)

If you don't have Microsoft Excel on your computer you will need to download the Microsoft Excel Viewer in order to use the Local Services Tax Calculator.

(The Local Services Tax Calculator is owned by a third party and the author of scrapcounciltax.co.uk accepts no responsibility for its accuracy)

When you receive this year’s Council Tax bill make a photocopy (local library, print shop or some stores, e.g. Co-op, offer this service). You can write a suitable comment on the photocopy - here are a few suggestions:

• Here's my latest reason not to vote for you!
• What percentage of YOUR income do you pay in Council Tax?
• How much is YOUR Council Tax?
• Yet another inflation-busting hike!
• When are you going to start listening?
• This is grossly unfair taxation!
• Enough is Enough!
• Scrap Council Tax!
• I Can't Afford to Pay This!

etc etc

If you want a formal reply from John Prescott you should enclose a covering letter with the copy of your 2006/07 council tax bill. Remember that it's important to ask questions and to ask for a reply. Click here for a few useful guidelines from the Isitfair website about writing to MP's about council tax.

Send the photocopy of your bill with your comment, or enclose it with a covering letter to:

Rt. Hon. John Prescott
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
Eland House
Bressenden Place
LONDON
SW1E 5DU

Please send it on 30th March 2006 by 1st class mail.

This protest is being co-ordinated by the Isitfair campaign.

The LGA has warned that a 10% increase in council tax could be coming our way next April. That would mean average Band D council tax (England) increasing from £1214 to £1335.

This signals the start of the annual bun fight between local councils and the Government. Both sides will have their well rehearsed positions, with the Government maintaining that they have consistently given significant above-inflation increases in grants to local councils, and local authorities maintaining that they have not received adequate funding for the additional demands placed upon them by Government.

In the middle of all this is, of course, is the council tax payer. Although sick of listening to all of the excuses and apologies over several years, the council tax payer will be obliged to pay up. Protesters will be aware that they could face a 28-day jail sentence should they dare to register a protest by withholding the amount by which their council tax bill exceeds inflation.

For every year that we are forced to accept another above inflation hike, the people least able to afford the tax will have to pay an even higher percentage of their income in council tax.

Both sides in this annual bun fight might like to consider the percentage of their own income that goes in council tax, and then compare this with the 15% or more that many protesters on modest incomes are having to pay. Only then will they start to understand why increasing numbers of people are protesting.

In September 2005 Sylvia was sentenced to 7 days in prison for her refusal to pay last year's inflation-busting increase, but was released after 2 days when her debt was settled by a mystery benefactor called "Mr. Brown".

Over the last four years her occupational pension has risen by a total of 6.8%, while her council tax bill has increased by a massive 38%.

Sylvia's steadfast refusal to pay this latest inflation-busting increase in council tax landed her with a liability order to pay her arrears within 28 days. She said that she did not want well-wishers to settle her debt if she was imprisoned again.

In an attempt to consolidate letters and comments from many varied sources and to bring these to a wider audience ScrapCouncilTax brings you a selection, see Letters and Comments. This section will continue to be updated so come back and have a look regularly. If you have seen a published letter or comment (it doesn't have to be your own!) that you consider to be especially relevant to the issue please let us know at ScrapCouncilTax@gmail.com.

We will always endeavour to accurately quote the source of such letters and comments.

We are delighted that Reverend Alfred Ridley has been released and reunited with his wife and family. We regard the imposition of his 28 day sentence as draconian and vindictive. Alfred's "crime" was to protest against the relentless inflation-busting hikes in council tax by paying last year's council tax plus inflation and no more. The application of the letter of the law in such a case is shameful and has led to a surge of interest in the IsItFair campaign with many people saying that they are now even more determined to campaign for the present system of council tax to be scrapped.

How many more people, disadvantaged by this regressive system of taxation, will have to suffer the indignity of a prison sentence before the Government starts to take notice?

The jail sentences imposed on Reverend Alfred Ridley and more recently Sylvia Hardy have received extensive media coverage, but it's important to reiterate the underlying reason for their protest.

Massive increases in council tax have had a dramatic impact on the financial situation of many people living on fixed or modest incomes. The principle reason for such people being so disadvantaged by the present system is simple - council tax liability is based on the value of your property, and not your income.

The present system is illogical as there is no direct connection between the value of your property and the monthly income from which you have to pay the tax. No political party would dream of assessing income tax based on the value of your house, so why should we be saddled with a monthly tax on property which happens to be called council tax? Council tax is regressive - the less income you have, the higher the percentage of your income you have to pay in council tax.

Since its introduction in 1993 council tax has risen by 121% in England, by 186% in Wales and by 101% in Scotland. Over the same period inflation was 36%.

We are NOT asking for pensioners to be given special treatment - we want a fairer system for everyone, based on people's ability to pay instead of property value.

Many pensioners are amongst those who are most disadvantaged, but people of all ages on fixed or modest incomes are paying a disproportionate percentage of their income in council tax under the present system.

We do NOT want the introduction of special discounts for pensioners, or any extension of the council tax benefits system. The whole council tax benefits system would be redundant if the tax was related to income instead of property value.

A radical overhaul of the funding of local services should take place as a matter of urgency and property value must cease to be the basis for local taxation. Although it will take time for a new system to be agreed and implemented, that does not excuse any further inflation-busting increases.

We call on the Government to ensure that no-one is required to pay an increase in their annual council tax above the rate of inflation with effect from April 2006, and until such time that property value ceases to be the basis of taxation for local services.

The people at the sharp end of this iniquitous tax don't want any more delaying tactics, buck-passing or empty promises from the Government, they want urgent action!

[end of statement]

Council tax is based on the value of the property in which you live, but the income from which you are supposed to pay the tax isn't connected in any way to the value of your property. That's the problem.

Consequently people on fixed or modest incomes are forced to pay a disproportionate percentage of their income in council tax.

Council tax should be replaced by a system that bears some relationship to people's income, as does income tax.

Any tax based on property value should be charged only when the ownership of the property changes. On change of ownership there is a financial transaction on which to levy the tax.

The present system of council tax is based on the value of something over which you have no control, and which provides no income with which to pay the tax. This is an illogical basis for any system of taxation.

Many thousands are indebted to Alfred and Sylvia for taking a stand against this grossly unfair tax.

Three cheers for Alfred and Sylvia!!!

Because there's no connection whatsoever between your income and the amount you pay in Council Tax at present, it is necessarily difficult to produce a simple answer to these questions. It also provides our politicians with a golden opportunity to give vague or confusing answers.

Any meaningful answer must take into account the amount of Council Tax being paid, which for 2005/06 is anything between £809 and £2428, using average band charges for England.

To find an estimate of the amount by which you would be better or worse off with Local Income Tax, please refer to one of the following tables. Each table shows incomes of £5,000 to £100,000 and property bands A to H.

Select the appropriate Local Income Tax versus Council Tax table for your household:

• Table 1: Two incomes (non-pensioners)
• Table 2: Two incomes (pensioners 65 to 74)
• Table 3: One income (non-pensioner)
• Table 4: One income (pensioner 65 - 74) currently getting 25% single occupant CT discount

The calculations in the above tables are indicative and use personal allowances for 2005/06, an average LIT rate of 3.75% and average per band Council Tax for England 2005/06.

For details of the REAL percentage increases and amounts payable see Monmouthshire - How Much?

Details of amounts payable:

• Anglesey - How Much?
• Caerphilly - How Much?
• Pembroke - How Much?
• Glamorgan - How Much?

The 4.6% increase applies to properties staying in the same band.

BUT, almost a third of properties in the County have gone up by one or more bands. These people will face massive increases of up to 27% from 1 April 2005 - see Denbighshire full details for details of the percentages for ALL band changes.

According to today's Daily Post (25 Feb) Conwy households are faced with 6.41% increase if they stay in the same band. Increases for those moving up one band are between 19% and 30%.

For Conwy details see Conwy full details for details of the percentages for ALL band changes.

Cardiff have announced a reduction of 0.57% for properties staying in the same band. But this is definitely NOT good news for the two thirds of householders whose property has increased by one or more bands. Their bills will increase by between 11.9% and 21.5% from April. See Cardiff full details for details of the percentages for ALL band changes.