Pensioner imprisoned

[andsome]

A woman has been imprisoned for seven days, because she has refused to pay more that the rate of inflation on her council tax bill. She has withheld £53. I say that she is a courageous woman, who has stood up for her beliefs. Since Labour came to power, the government has eroded support for local authorities year upon year, with the result that council taxes all over the country have increased year upon year at well over the rate of inflation. How on earth does comrade Brown expect people on fixed incomes to keep on affording these increases.

Are you happy now Gordon?

[Thos]

A woman has been imprisoned for seven days, because she has refused to pay more that the rate of inflation on her council tax bill. She has withheld £53. I say that she is a courageous woman, who has stood up for her beliefs. Since Labour came to power, the government has eroded support for local authorities year upon year, with the result that council taxes all over the country have increased year upon year at well over the rate of inflation. How on earth does comrade Brown expect people on fixed incomes to keep on affording these increases.

I agree in general, except that this has been the case for many years and many people have tried to find a fairer system of financing local authorities. The poll tax was Margaret Thatcher's try at putting it right but "the people" rioted and we reverted to this iniquitous tax based on property values. Ought we to try the LibDem idea of a local income tax? Or are there better ideas?

Thos.

[-pops-]

Or are there better ideas?

How about a purchase tax levied on anything classed as non-essential. This could replace all the current forms of personal taxation.

OK, it may be difficult to accept that your £5,000 plasma screen television suddenly goes up in price to £10,000 but there will be a lot more cash in the pocket to pay for it :mellow:

[CurlyWhirly]

Ought we to try the LibDem idea of a local income tax? Or are there better ideas?

I think that this is a fairer way of taxing people as it is based on people's ability to pay so therefore pensioners should get a good deal.

The most unfair tax I have ever heard of was the poll tax where someone who is in a low paid job paid the same as someone down the road who was wealthy :angry:

The question of whether the woman should go to prison or not is a difficult one as we all know that pensioners are on a fixed income and are therefore unable to pay above inflation council tax rises but if everyone refused to pay it this would lead to a situation of lawlessness.

Until the law is changed we have to abide by it however unjust.

[-pops-]

this would lead to a situation of lawlessness.

A la the poll tax riots - which did get the law changed - not necessarily for the much better but they achieved their aim.

[artist]

There will be fun when 'they' come to see how much we've all updated out properties......I am led to understand that they will have right of access too.

[CurlyWhirly]

A la the poll tax riots - which did get the law changed - not necessarily for the much better but they achieved their aim.

I agree. This was one instance when going against the law was a just cause.

[andsome]

Paying for local services has NOTHING at all to do with how much your house is worth as far as I can see. We all get exactly the same services, whether or not we have added an extra bedroom, a garage or a conservatory etc. Local income tax seems a fairer way, as it depends entirely upon ability to pay. The whole business of locking up an old lady seems draconian in the extreme.

[catgate]

Why does the money spent by the local authority have to be gathered by the local authority?

If the level of income tax was raised by x% (where x% = the amount of money collected by local authorities) and the government then allocated so much per head to local authorities in place of poll tax/council tax/ rates, then those who earned most would pay most, (as people seem to think is "right"), and it would not matter what value your house was, nor how much you improve it. The only thing that the value of your house indicates is how much money you have spent in the past, coupled with an indication of how ineffective succesive governments have been in controlling inflation, not how much you now have.

[rong]

If it wasn't wasted, and the corruption dealt with all our taxes could be cut by very large amounts then this need not happen.

Local news couple of weeks ago, £40,000 to clean and decorate a house, wonder which counsellor got that.

[pwp]

i think a tax on property is about as fair as you will get.

you can not hide your property ownership.

the poor and needy get plenty of help and the rest can well afford it.

even now the most wealthy in are society pay the least tax and a local

income tax would mean they just get away with more.

and how would a local tax be fair as apart from road repairs and getting my bin emptied

i make no use of council facilities so why should i pay for them.

[andsome]

You use the street light, and your road is kept fee of flood water by the drains etc. There are also many other facilities too numerous to mention here. Why should a widow who has supported her husband all his life and possibly gone out to work too, pay more for local services than others who have lived in subsidised housing and spent their wages elsewhere? A local income tax is far fairer, then the poor would not be paying more than they could reasonably afford.

[pwp]

i would think street lighting fits nicely with road repairs and

drainage comes under water rates totally separate from council tax.

Why should a widow who has supported her husband all his life and possibly gone out to work too, pay more for local services than others who have lived in subsidized housing and spent their wages elsewhere? A local income tax is far fairer, then the poor would not be paying more than they could reasonably afford.

if they had provided for themselves sensibly they still would have to

pay local tax as your retirement income would be taxed but those that pee it up the proverbial wall would still pay sod all.

[expertec]

Seems they decided to release her early...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/4285340.stm

[Belatucadrus]

Silly woman, now if she'd mugged somebody and paid up with her ill gotten gains, she'd have been let off with a caution.

:blink:

[P;3]

I think the woman is not best pleased with the man who paid her debt for her; and what his ulterior motive might be :angry:

[andsome]

I just admire her for sticking to her principles.