TaxPayers' Alliance describe amount uncollected across the capital as "shocking"
Hounslow Council has written off more than £1.2 million of unpaid council tax during 2006/07, according to figures out this week.
Published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the figures show that LBH gave up chasing £1,233,000 whilst neighbouring borough Hammersmith & Fulham wrote off £1,632,000 and Ealing £141,000.
A spokesperson for Hounslow Council said, “All debt written off was deemed uncollectible usually through deceased cases with no assets or absconds – in these cases full traces are sought first using a number of internal and external methods.”
He added “During 2006/7 we collected £97.2M for council tax payments.”
A total of more than £49 million was written off by councils across London with the amount for the entire country totalling £133,755,000.
Campaign group the TaxPayers' Alliance described the figures as "shocking".
"At a time when pensioners are being sent to jail for not being able to pay relatively small amounts, it is shocking that councils are happy to write off millions," a spokesman told the BBC.
"Council tax is putting an unsustainable burden on ordinary families, and allowing this hole in the budget to continue adds to that burden."
April 17, 2008
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