Council Tax RANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Caterman]

Whilst i was merrily stripping a grill down yesterday my rather upset and angry wife phoned in her lunch break to say she had called home and was sitting reading a court summons

Those nice people in local government have now moved the goalposts regaring the way council tax is collected
I have NEVER EVER missed a monthly payment since i have owned a house. As long as my bills are paid then everything else can wait. I ALWAYS pay online the day i get paid. As i get paid on the last Thursday of the month the actual date i pay varies a few days either way. My council tax is due on the 15th of the month so sometimes it will be 2 weeks after this date when i actually pay. Never ever been a problem for the last god knows how many years

THIS IS NOT NOW GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They want me to set up a direct debit or pay in full as they are giving no discretion and want payment as soon as it is due!
I pointed out that the bill actually gets paid in advance as the invoices are for the year ahead so if i pay monthly how can i be in arrears no matter what date i pay as long as the full amount is paid by April 2009

They agreed that is true but still insist that they are in the right and are taking many people to court over the same issue and the courts are awarding the cases to the council

I was told that if i paid this months installment (already done) and then start paying by direct debit IMMEDIATELY they will "waive" the court costs and withdraw the summons. Talk about being held to ransom I nearly asked him if he was wearing a stripey jumper and mask

If i don't then on the 23rd Oct at 12.00 i shall be appearing live in the local magistrates court and will lose the case (according to them)

I think this country needs a bl00dy good shake up now.............


Rant Over

[mark1319]

Can't see how they'll win Tony??????

You pay it in advance so are always paid up to date, sounds like they're talking out their back end and the talk of them winning all these cases is just to make you pay

Don't you love the UK, right when there's a so called credit crisis things like this are going around

[GARY3306]

And you can bet your backside that if you somehow overpaid and were due money back, you would be waiting months. They wonder why people leave this hellhole in droves. I regularly get a letter off them, and like you Tony, I pay every month without fail.

[steve1975l]

And you can bet your backside that if you somehow overpaid and were due money back, you would be waiting months. They wonder why people leave this hellhole in droves. I regularly get a letter off them, and like you Tony, I pay every month without fail.

I overpaid and it took months to get a cheque authorised.

[boba]

I think that the way the law works is that council tax is officially payable in full on the first day of the new tax year in early April. Councils offer monthly payments without interest at their option but they are legally entitled to the cash up front.

My council is happy with me paying by direct debit when I'm paid which is the end of the month but if you pay some other way by installments they want to see it by the 15th.

In good old Fife you can't actually pay the council tax in pound notes at the local offices any more as it's too much bother for them to handle filthy lucre. You need to pay at a post office if you can find one that this bl@@dy government hasn't closed yet. </rant>

[monkeytwo]

Reading my Council Tax notice (Rec'd April) it does make it clear that you are paying in advance for the 08/09 services.

If it was me i'd try to approach the council and setup a DD for 2 working days after you get paid each month. Although i know some companies wont do this as they like to collect all of the funds on the same day from each individual.

[ditchp]

i pay mine with my rent and it get's paid when i can be arsed to go into the rent office and hand over the cash.......sometime's it's every week sometime's it's about a month.....they get the cash and have not had any prob's so far with this payment plan........

tell em to go fek emselves mate

[m8internet]

I ALWAYS pay online the day i get paid. As i get paid on the last Thursday of the month the actual date i pay varies a few days either way. My council tax is due on the 15th of the month so sometimes it will be 2 weeks after this date when i actually pay

Normally they will send you out a reminder that that months payment is overdue
If you fail to make payments on time for two months within any one year, then sadly they reserve the right to request immediate payment for the remainder of the outstanding year
Many people have been caught out by this

[Ste]

I am currently fighting the local council for some benefit claim (which they say I am not entitled to) - they are a bunch of incompetent half wits who can't see past their faces.