Council Tax for State Pensioners

oh goodness. I now pay £208 pm and get my bin emptied. Yes we should pay council tax, do people really want another burden to be placed on the shoulders of the younger generation.

karmalady

oh goodness. I now pay £208 pm and get my bin emptied. Yes we should pay council tax, do people really want another burden to be placed on the shoulders of the younger generation.

For goodness sakes. Do you not get the services of the police, firebrigade. It helps pay housing benefit, children and family services, public health, adult services, the environment to name a few. Help can be given, towards cost of paying, to help those in need. Unfortunately we cannot live in a world where all is free, others will suffer. I will not sign it, a pensioner.

Whilst it sounds a lovely idea, I think everyone who can has to pay their way, or at least make a contribution. My Council Tax is the biggest chunk of my expenses. However, many DWP recipients may be income poor on paper, but have substantial savings/second homes etc - just look at the diversity here on GN.
When I was at college, decades ago, we were told that any tax levied had to be easy to understand and inexpensive to collect, which is why individual rates taxes (a topic at the time) wouldn’t work - a bit like Poll Tax.
I would, however, welcome a 50% reduction for single occupancy rather than just 25%, but any reduction is better than none.

Karmalady- is being a little flippant, but is an advocate of paying CT.

I don’t support this. It would only add to the burden on everyone else. As has been said already, numerous services are financed through council tax and help is available over and above the single occupier’s discount. This sort of thing fans the flames of inter generational friction.

I agree with Germanshepherdsmum this is the sort of thing that turns generations against each other. The real reason that some pensioners are struggling is because the State pension is too low. Pensioners who receive pension credit don't pay Council Tax anyway.
We should all be proud to pay our taxes, they are not a burden they are a symbol of a decent society where we all chip in for the benefit of all of us.

Sorry I'm happy to pay, we all need those services.
If as said you need support you can apply for help.

There is help available for anyone who is struggling on a basic state pension.
£Billions remains unclaimed.

I won't be signing, although I do wish more of the money would be spent on mending potholes and rough roads instead of some of the frivolous projects here.

Of course we should pay it, it would be another burden on the younger generation who will have to work a lot longer than many of us did.

Freya5

karmalady

oh goodness. I now pay £208 pm and get my bin emptied. Yes we should pay council tax, do people really want another burden to be placed on the shoulders of the younger generation.

For goodness sakes. Do you not get the services of the police, firebrigade. It helps pay housing benefit, children and family services, public health, adult services, the environment to name a few. Help can be given, towards cost of paying, to help those in need. Unfortunately we cannot live in a world where all is free, others will suffer. I will not sign it, a pensioner.

karmalady says:

*Yes we should pay council tax, do people really want another burden to be placed on the shoulders of the younger generation*

I agree.

No, I don’t want to sign it. Help those in need by all means, but not a blanket exemption.

I am of the same opinion as Germanshepardsmum.

I do think everyone should pay towards the borough's running costs.
My concern living in a rural area is our market town has a large university population who pay nothing. They use the town's facilities which are paid for by residents in the villages. These villages don't have a swimming pool, leisure centre, much in the way of policing. They have very few/no buses into the town. There is no Sunday service and the last bus back is 7pm so we can't use the cinema, theatre, etc. So we do feel a bit hard done by.

I think that help should be targeted. Why should multi millionaires get a huge freebie just because of age? I have no objection to an increase in pension credit or help with social care for instance. More help for those in need should be a priority.

There are a lot of old people who are asset rich due to the increased value of their crumbling old, far too expensive to heat or maintain, family house but very cash poor, and too old to be able to move. Should they be denied help because on paper, but not in reality, they are rich?

Georgesgran

Karmalady- is being a little flippant, but is an advocate of paying CT.

yes, the flippancy was in the visible benefit to me, I am well aware of council tax being needed for all sorts of things and just to clarify to freya, I am indeed an advocate of us pensioners paying council tax. The petition is a nonsense and I definitely will not be signing

Also the younger generation have a far harder financial life than we had, so why on earth should they be expected to shoulder more financial burden

Single occupancy residences are surely charged at a discounted rate anyway and multi occupancy residences have more that just the one pension/income/allowance, so pensioners should still pay their council taxes. And yes, I am a pensioner.

If we don’t pay, others will have to pay more, soon, I can’t support this.

So no (I must preread!)

No.

Quite agree with those who think we should all pay council tax (with help for those who can't, of course). I was proud when I earned enough to pay income tax too - as has been said many times, it's the price we pay for a fairer society. I can't understand the politicians, usually Tory, who say that we should keep more of our income. Who then pays for street lights, bin collections and other things which cannot be arranged privately (like health and education, although I prefer both to be publicly provided and am happy to pay for them on that basis)?

Ridiculous idea.

I have signed because Council tax is very poorly targeted.

Only 25% discount for those like myself (least selfish group in society) who are single and childfree. Besed on average of two adults per household it should be 50%. With the current system it is possible for a single persioner to be directly subsidising the selfish family of four who live next door in an identical house.

I would like to return to the community charge where everyone paid something. However I would take it further and make people pay for their offspring. Children consume resources like sponges and generate huge amounts of waste - I only have to see the overflowing bins of the families around me to know that. Children add nothing into the community until they are old enough to work.

"selfish family of four who live next door in an identical house", why are they selfish biglouis. Don't you like children?