Tax dodging in North Staffs.

[For Us All]

Incorrect.

 

There are no debtors prisons anymore, unless the law has changed some debts are not legally enforceable [it may have, its been a long time]

 

You are not guilty of theft unless a court says you are, there is a difference between breach of contract and theft.

 

Your suggestions would probably cost more in administration and upkeep than would be collected

 

 

Your council can take you to court if you don’t pay the money you owe and the bailiffs can’t recover enough property to cover it.

 

The court will consider whether you:

##can afford to pay the bill.

##have a valid reason to not pay.

 

You can be sent to prison for up to 3 months if the court decides you don’t have a good reason to not pay your Council Tax and you refuse to do so.

 

Source - https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-arrears

[geosname]

Your council can take you to court if you don’t pay the money you owe and the bailiffs can’t recover enough property to cover it.

 

The court will consider whether you:

##can afford to pay the bill.

##have a valid reason to not pay.

 

You can be sent to prison for up to 3 months if the court decides you don’t have a good reason to not pay your Council Tax and you refuse to do so.

 

Source - https://www.gov.uk/council-tax-arrears

 

Incorrect.

 

There are no debtors prisons anymore, unless the law has changed some debts are not legally enforceable [it may have, its been a long time]

 

You are not guilty of theft unless a court says you are, there is a difference between breach of contract and theft.

 

Your suggestions would probably cost more in administration and upkeep than would be collected

 

90 days in prison at 100 quid a day of your tax money to collect 2,000 quid... is that reasonable?

 

If you owe monies to anyone, anywhere and you don't pay,you are guilty of theft and you are treated accordingly.

The above statement you made is still incorrect.

[For Us All]

Incorrect.

 

There are no debtors prisons anymore, unless the law has changed some debts are not legally enforceable [it may have, its been a long time]

 

You are not guilty of theft unless a court says you are, there is a difference between breach of contract and theft.

 

Your suggestions would probably cost more in administration and upkeep than would be collected

 

90 days in prison at 100 quid a day of your tax money to collect 2,000 quid... is that reasonable?

 

 

The above statement you made is still incorrect.

 

I'll concede that the word theft is a bit strong.:whiteflag:

[Warren]

The Council's collection rate should be in the very high 90's percent. Another thing to watch is write offs of past debt which should be realistic about recovery but low. So compare Stoke to other councils and debt recovery in general. This is a statutory tax and against property so collection has an inherent robustness reinforced to some extent by low income residents having payments made through DSS to landlord etc.

 

The thing is residents in Stoke on Trent can challenge annually the accounts of the council. When the draft accounts are prepared in May / June 2016 for the financial year 2015/16 they are put on deposit and this is advertised in the sentinel and elsewhere. This means the residents for several weeks can inspect the underlying records subject to personal information restrictions. They can seek explanation from the council and the external auditor to the council appointed. There may be grounds to object to the accounts or an accounting entry. One basis for objection, to the auditor, would be that an item of account is unlawful. Another might be that an item has not been accounted for properly. These will lead to the auditor investigating and responding and could lead to taking action within audit powers.

 

So poor collection performance, inappropriate write off etc, can be challenged to some degree - if you want to make the effort to inspect, do the research, make the challenge.

[Twitters]

Who are the biggest criminals?? The council with their executive six figure salaries and their waste of taxpayers money on flower shows and ridiculous projects paying high flying consultants for schemes that in the end don't exist and don't benefit the electorate?

 

Millions wasted on offices they did not need...thousands wasted on HS2, thousands wasted on clearing up fly tipping due to expensive refuse regulations (EU induced)

 

I live in Tunstall and it resembles a slum...litter everywhere rats everywhere, alleyways where kids play because their parents cannot afford to take them elsewhere. No funding to assist young children whilst they are off school

 

What exactly are we paying for? A weekly bin collection? Certainly not the roads...the craters are getting bigger every week.The council are a disgrace and have no intention of getting Stoke on Trent to a decent level where it will be seen as attractive to potential employers/companies who want to invest.

 

Take a look in Burslem and Tunstall....what exactly has it got going for it in terms of trade? Most shop units are closed. It is a disgrace

 

Take it you're not a fan of the way UKIP are helping to run the council in coalition then?