Local taxation

[cromwell]

Mod Notice

Many posts moved to the off topic tower thread.

Yes I know I'm a

[patman post]

Although it was badly implemented, I think the idea behind the poll tax was on the right lines — ie, a charge for every inhabitant in each house over school leaving age. Obviously there'd need to be exemptions and reductions (and in some cases, additions) but these could be against a nationally set criteria.

It seems wrong that an elderly retired couple should be rated the same as a family of  several earning adults — and even when one of the couple dies, there's only a reduction of 25%...

[Borchester]

Maybe the local hospitality needs to be more tourist friendly . I dont really see people going on holiday and not spending unless they think the urine is being extracted .

True.

Any if benefits were raised locally then there might be more pressure on Cornwall's Layabout Army to actually do some work instead of scrounging off their neighbours.

[papasmurf]

Maybe the local hospitality needs to be more tourist friendly . I dont really see people going on holiday and not spending unless they think the urine is being extracted .

Due to the over-tourism and the proliferation of holiday lets, AirBandB, and second homes the hospitality industry and tourism industry cannot get staff because there is nowhere for staff to live.
Also, far too many of the current crop of tourists are badly behaved, have no respect for the environment or the people who live here.
They turned the area into a rubbish tip, fire hazard and openair toilet. 
Some of the SSSIs have been damaged so badly it will take in some cases ten years for them to recover.

[Streetwalker]

With the current complaint from the local hospitality and tourist related business that we were over-run with far too many tourists who were very reluctant to unscrew their wallets, that idea is a non-starter.

Maybe the local hospitality needs to be more tourist friendly . I dont really see people going on holiday and not spending unless they think the urine is being extracted .

[papasmurf]

I would have thought people in Cornwall would welcome such a system where they could pass the local taxation onto tourists through sales tax

With the current complaint from the local hospitality and tourist related business that we were over-run with far too many tourists who were very reluctant to unscrew their wallets, that idea is a non-starter.

[Streetwalker]

That would cause the same amount of civil unrest and protest as it did the first time.
No-one has ever been to explain why where I live the rates on my home was £225 a year. When the poll tax came in, which was £330 each time two, £660. Totally unaffordable.  Some of my neighbours were having to find 4,5, or even 6 times £330.

Thats why I said Poll tax/ sales tax  model .  I wasnt talking about the previous incarnation of it which set the individual cost too high 
The bean counters should be able to set the cost of local services where everyone pays a fair share . I would have thought people in Cornwall would welcome such a system where they could pass the local taxation onto tourists through sales tax 

[papasmurf]

i would go for a poll tax / 

That would cause the same amount of civil unrest and protest as it did the first time.
No-one has ever been to explain why where I live the rates on my home was £225 a year. When the poll tax came in, which was £330 each time two, £660. Totally unaffordable.  Some of my neighbours were having to find 4,5, or even 6 times £330.

[Barry]

As everyone is probably aware, the council tax is set at a rate but not everyone has to pay it. If the poor fill in a few forms they don't have to pay it. If the house is single occupancy, there is a reduced rate even for a mansion. The shortfall comes out of the public purse, i.e. the Treasury.
If it can be done for them, why not take local council costs directly from the Treasury? It would result in a rise in general taxation. This would expose the real rate of taxation, however, there would have to be constraints on local authorities to ensure they don't spend money on rainbow crossings, promoting green issues or promoting political policies.

So my plan is scrap local taxation and increase income tax.

[Streetwalker]

i would go for a poll tax / sales tax  model which would see everyone in the locality paying something

[patman post]

Any change to the way local council expenditure is funded will be tinkering at the edges until local government has a total overhaul. In general, it's like the NHS — it suffers from too much admin and management, and poor quality personnel.

The two local councils I've had most to do with have proved to be too politically driven, and employers of the least communicative/intelligent/productive public-facing staff.

Councils spending money on council in-vogue projects like street parklets, cargo-bike delivery schemes, traffic-free neighbourhoods, etc, do little to actually improve the lives of residents, and often impede them.

All many of these madcap schemes do is give their advocates and designers nice warm feelings, but bugger up the lives of residents who are directly hampered and disadvantaged by them...

[srb7677]

No that is describing some local politics in what he posted.

The Tories are running the council now and appear to be no better. If anything even worse. As far as I am concerned it's a plague on both their houses. All Labour has going for it is the fact that anything is better than the Tories. But after what I have seen done to good comrades, the lies told, the incessant plotting and scheming, I shall not be voting for them.

[papasmurf]

I am against local taxation. I live in a low wage, high rent, high property price area, where poverty is rife.

[cromwell]

That is describing the Tory government.

No that is describing some local politics in what he posted.

[Nalaar]

The current system seems fine to me, however, it is my understanding the councils speculate using private contracts in a way that sets them up for failure and debt. Councils should not be in the business of market speculation and passive income generation. They should budget and spend based on known income from local taxes.