General Election 2010

[Park Life 71]

Basically most in London who aren't registered to vote are avoiding council tax, no mystery.

 

That would require the assumption that councils have any kind of functioning communications between their various departments. But I can understand why people think that way, obviously.

 

If Council tax was levied against houses rather than people then the number of voters will rise drastically. Dame Thatcher used the poll tax (re-named council tax) to wipe out some of the lower levels of voters who traditionally don't vote Tory (sneaky)...

 

Erm, as far as I am aware Council tax is levied against the property, not the person? What are you on about?

 

Obviously don't pay it. It's calculated by how many adults are living in a residence and the size of the residence and the working status of those adults. Whereas before it was levied against the house alone (iirc down to size and location).

 

I've owned poperty since 1995. It's my understanding that council tax is based on a valuation band which in turn is based (loosely) on the value of the property. The number of occupants is irrelevant (but actually perhaps shouldn't be). There is ONE bill per home (usually paid by the owner unless agreed otherwise). I don't see how this will affect voting.

 

The more people that live in your house the more council tax you pay, can't really make it clearer than that bro.

[Guest alex]

I think Renton's right although I seem to remember that you get a rebate if there is only one person living in a property. Getting on for 5 years since I lived alone (technically) like.

Edit: Mentioned by HF above.

Edited April 20, 2010 by alex

[Meenzer 15742]

I hate the mad bitch but I'll agree she was right in that regard. Not that I'm against the EU, it just needs to be reformed and all those on the gravy train need a kick up the arse. Make our own MPs look like upstanding chaps.

This is where Clegg will have to be careful in the foreign policy debate, what with being Euro-friendly and a former MEP himself - but he's made a point of saying he believes in the concept but thinks it's far too bloated and inefficient (and frankly even the biggest Europhile would agree with that), plus having seen its workings from the inside puts him in a better position to judge that than the others. If he can get that point across without Cameron making it look like he wants Britain to bend over and take a bit of Helmut, I shall be a happy bunny.

 

Meanwhile, someone just reminded me of this from a few years ago:

 

 

 

(EDIT: That embedding isn't working for me. Just in case:

) Edited April 20, 2010 by Meenzer

[Meenzer 15742]

Yeah, you get a single person discount but that's all. We strung out my better half's "stoodent" status for longer than we should have done for precisely that purpose , but then there were no elections here as they only do the council every four years unlike in Newcastle.

[Park Life 71]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

[Renton 22059]

Basically most in London who aren't registered to vote are avoiding council tax, no mystery.

 

That would require the assumption that councils have any kind of functioning communications between their various departments. But I can understand why people think that way, obviously.

 

If Council tax was levied against houses rather than people then the number of voters will rise drastically. Dame Thatcher used the poll tax (re-named council tax) to wipe out some of the lower levels of voters who traditionally don't vote Tory (sneaky)...

 

Erm, as far as I am aware Council tax is levied against the property, not the person? What are you on about?

 

Obviously don't pay it. It's calculated by how many adults are living in a residence and the size of the residence and the working status of those adults. Whereas before it was levied against the house alone (iirc down to size and location).

 

I've owned poperty since 1995. It's my understanding that council tax is based on a valuation band which in turn is based (loosely) on the value of the property. The number of occupants is irrelevant (but actually perhaps shouldn't be). There is ONE bill per home (usually paid by the owner unless agreed otherwise). I don't see how this will affect voting.

 

The more people that live in your house the more council tax you pay, can't really make it clearer than that bro.

 

I'd be interested if anyone can verify this as its not mentioned on the government site I've just visited? Here's a section of it:

 

What you actually pay

How much Council Tax you pay depends on your property band and your local council - each council sets its own Council Tax rates.

 

Your council can tell you the rates for your area.

 

Visit the Council Tax pages of your council website Opens new windowWho is responsible for paying the bill?

 

There's one Council Tax bill for each home. Usually the person living in the property has to pay the bill. Spouses and partners who live together are both responsible for paying the bill.

 

The person at the top or nearest to the top of the following list has to pay the bill:

 

• lives in the property and owns it

• lives in the property and has a lease (this includes 'assured tenants' under the Housing Act 1988)

• lives in the property and is a 'statutory' or 'secure' tenant

• lives in the property and isn't a tenant but has permission to live there

• lives in the property (for example a squatter)

• has a lease of six months or more on the property, but doesn't live there

• owns the property but doesn't live there

 

You can't be responsible for paying the bill if you're under age 18.

 

If you're still unsure about who is responsible for paying the bill, you can contact your local council and they'll be able to help.

[Guest alex]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

Yeah but in the case of rented property each separate home is class as a property, is it not? So you're still wrong

[Park Life 71]

Yeah, you get a single person discount but that's all. We strung out my better half's "stoodent" status for longer than we should have done for precisely that purpose , but then there were no elections here as they only do the council every four years unlike in Newcastle.

 

My point being that when it was rates it was just the house and location that was levied against and IMO we should return to that. A lot of people don't register to vote to avoid all the 'attention' and financial liabilities that might come their way these days. Microphones in bins an all that...Put the green bottle in the wrong bin and whipped away to Gitmo etc...

[Guest alex]

Yeah, you get a single person discount but that's all. We strung out my better half's "stoodent" status for longer than we should have done for precisely that purpose , but then there were no elections here as they only do the council every four years unlike in Newcastle.

 

My point being that when it was rates it was just the house and location that was levied against and IMO we should return to that. A lot of people don't register to vote to avoid all the 'attention' and financial liabilities that might come their way these days. Microphones in bins an all that...Put the green bottle in the wrong bin and whipped away to Gitmo etc...

Your point does still sort of apply anyway

[Park Life 71]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

Yeah but in the case of rented property each separate home is class as a property, is it not? So you're still wrong

 

But only the landlord was liable for rates as against it moving over to occupants under the council tax legislation. IMO the bigger the house the bigger the local tax should be, everything else is UNDEMOCRATIC.

[Park Life 71]

Renton is probs still registerd as a student anyway (goes on like one).

[Meenzer 15742]

IMO the bigger the house the bigger the local tax should be, everything else is UNDEMOCRATIC.

Which it broadly is, since it's based on house values. For all that's worth since the damage done by Brown's happy pyramid scheme.

[Renton 22059]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

 

I'd accept that the onus to pay may have moved from the Landlord to the tennant in some instances, but I'd imagine where there is a property someone has to pay. Council tax seems as good as any other system, and I'm not buying this conspiracy that its intention was to stop people voting* (also people on benefit get Council tax paid quite often).

 

* That might have influenced poll tax.

[Guest alex]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

Yeah but in the case of rented property each separate home is class as a property, is it not? So you're still wrong

 

But only the landlord was liable for rates as against it moving over to occupants under the council tax legislation. IMO the bigger the house the bigger the local tax should be, everything else is UNDEMOCRATIC.

That's the current system, more or less Anyway, see above, I know what you're getting at.

[Park Life 71]

Basically most in London who aren't registered to vote are avoiding council tax, no mystery.

 

That would require the assumption that councils have any kind of functioning communications between their various departments. But I can understand why people think that way, obviously.

 

If Council tax was levied against houses rather than people then the number of voters will rise drastically. Dame Thatcher used the poll tax (re-named council tax) to wipe out some of the lower levels of voters who traditionally don't vote Tory (sneaky)...

 

Erm, as far as I am aware Council tax is levied against the property, not the person? What are you on about?

 

Obviously don't pay it. It's calculated by how many adults are living in a residence and the size of the residence and the working status of those adults. Whereas before it was levied against the house alone (iirc down to size and location).

 

I've owned poperty since 1995. It's my understanding that council tax is based on a valuation band which in turn is based (loosely) on the value of the property. The number of occupants is irrelevant (but actually perhaps shouldn't be). There is ONE bill per home (usually paid by the owner unless agreed otherwise). I don't see how this will affect voting.

 

The more people that live in your house the more council tax you pay, can't really make it clearer than that bro.

 

I'd be interested if anyone can verify this as its not mentioned on the government site I've just visited? Here's a section of it:

 

What you actually pay

How much Council Tax you pay depends on your property band and your local council - each council sets its own Council Tax rates.

 

Your council can tell you the rates for your area.

 

Visit the Council Tax pages of your council website Opens new windowWho is responsible for paying the bill?

 

There's one Council Tax bill for each home. Usually the person living in the property has to pay the bill. Spouses and partners who live together are both responsible for paying the bill.

 

The person at the top or nearest to the top of the following list has to pay the bill:

 

• lives in the property and owns it

• lives in the property and has a lease (this includes 'assured tenants' under the Housing Act 1988)

• lives in the property and is a 'statutory' or 'secure' tenant

• lives in the property and isn't a tenant but has permission to live there

• lives in the property (for example a squatter)

• has a lease of six months or more on the property, but doesn't live there

• owns the property but doesn't live there

 

You can't be responsible for paying the bill if you're under age 18.

 

If you're still unsure about who is responsible for paying the bill, you can contact your local council and they'll be able to help.

 

Under rates these two bands weren't paying a penny you can look it up, it all fell to the landlord and rightly so.

[Guest alex]

Renton is probs still registerd as a student anyway (goes on like one).

You can talk

[Park Life 71]

Also bear in mind that before it was just RATES which was paid by the landlord, regardless of the tennants. Now of course the tennants (if they don't avoid registering) are liable. All significant changes that IMO has affected the number of people who register to vote and that of course was the initial intention. The truty is that they don't really want the have nots taking too much of an interest in politics never mind vote...ha ha

Yeah but in the case of rented property each separate home is class as a property, is it not? So you're still wrong

 

But only the landlord was liable for rates as against it moving over to occupants under the council tax legislation. IMO the bigger the house the bigger the local tax should be, everything else is UNDEMOCRATIC.

That's the current system, more or less Anyway, see above, I know what you're getting at.

 

Good.

 

I'd get rid of it altogether and trains should be free an all.

[Happy Face 29]

It has already become fashionable to suspect wearily that "Cleggmania" will not last until May 6, and perhaps it won't. But there is one factor that has not so far been discussed when it comes to measuring how many votes the Liberal Democrats may receive in this election.

 

Each election, around three million people vote by post. Of those, around half -- one and a half million -- return their voting forms early, after they receive them. They are being returned this week.

 

Now, traditionaly, a number of postal voters have been ex-pats, and the process has benefited the Tories. However, if the surge in support for Nick Clegg and his party is as real as it appears in the polls, he could be receiving thousands or even millions of votes right now.

 

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/public-a...gg-postal-votes

 

If it isn't my old friend Mr Clegg, with a leg for an arm and an arm for a leg!

 

[Renton 22059]

Rates were unfair on old grannies living in mansions iirc.

[Park Life 71]

Lib-Lab pact coming up. Good old days are back.

[Park Life 71]

Rates were unfair on old grannies living in mansions iirc.

 

Fuck em. Live too long anyway.

[Meenzer 15742]

But there is one factor that has not so far been discussed when it comes to measuring how many votes the Liberal Democrats may receive in this election.

It has been over on UK Polling Report. Keep up, old media.

 

In all seriousness, it's an interesting point indeed, but it needs Clegg to have a good second debate too. Insofar as anyone'll be watching it since it's on Sky News. Maybe "it needs Clegg to have a good mainstream media response to the second debate too" would be more accurate.

[Park Life 71]

The old style fudging and prevaricating Liberals were the best vintage. They are beginning to look like they give a shit these days.

[Gemmill 46208]

I was wrong about this place going to the dogs. This council tax banter is a rip-snorter of a page turner!

[Meenzer 15742]

Nice of you to mention that, actually. One of my pet hates among politicians is the use of the word "fudge". It comes up a lot in party polliticks and for all it's primarily a Tory thing - Cameron even stuck it in his recent panic-ridden rant about how voting Lib Dem would create "uncertainty, fudge and division" - it's by no means limited to old Etonians. Anyway, I admit it's a thoroughly irrational hatred, I just think the word sounds utterly posh-boy and out of touch with how normal people actually speak. Really sets my teeth on edge.

 

Normal service may resume.