Council Tax-More Good News
Fri, 20 June 2008The London Borough of Hounslow collected an extra £3.9 million pounds in council tax last year, without raising their share of the bill by one single penny.The improvement is among the top twenty in the country and is due to a determined effort to recover money from those who persistently refuse to pay.The council is part of a national debt tracing programme that allows local authorities across the country to work together to recover debt from absconders who have moved.The focus on tracking down non-payments saw the council collect £96.6 million in 2007/08, up from £92.7 million the year before. This means a record collection rate of 95.8 per cent, compared to 95.6 per cent across the rest of London.The council is also cracking down on those who falsely claim discounts they are not entitled to. A full-scale review has seen a reduction in those claiming the single occupancy discount after investigations showed another eligible adult was living in the property.Cllr Gerald McGregor, lead member for finance at the council, said: “This increase shows that by working better, harder and smarter we are delivering real benefits for local people.“The vast majority of local people who pay their fair share council tax deeply resent those that do not.“We are committed to tracking down those who refuse to pay their fair share. Every penny they refuse to pay means we have less to pay for essential services.” As well as increasing the amount collected over the financial year, the council are having more success chasing arrears after the end of the financial year. In 2007/8 a further £2.6 million of arrears from previous years was collected.To make collection as convenient and as simple as possible, the council also encourages people to pay via direct debit and has promoted the options of different payment dates to suit residents’ financial circumstances.Council tax benefit is available for those on low incomes and anyone who is experiencing difficulties should contact the council as soon as possible to arrange suitable payment arrangements or benefit claims.For more information about paying your council tax visit: www.hounslow.gov.uk/council_tax
Paul Fisher ● 6246d1 Comments