Council tax rebate for those in Iraq & Afghanistan

No new money & not a new idea. Just spin again.

You can still get a rebate on the Council Tax where ever you are deployed as long as you are away for more than 6 months. Just get the bill put in your spouses/partner/housemates name, tell the Council that the home is occupied by a single person & bingo, 25% discount.

When you get back just reverse the process.

Done this a few times when I have been deployed with no problem. Been absolutely honest with the Council & they are up for it.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=483730&in_page_id=1770

How its only for Iraq & Afghanistan is beyond me, apart from the money factor.

 

yep and in the sun.........

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007440520,00.html

25%???!!!!!!!!!
bloody insult!!!!!!!!

 

Be reasonable guys, you can't expect too much to be given in rate rebate - how will they (we, the taxpayer!!) be able to pay for these double housing payments/expenses for ministers second, probably more, homes ?

As the comment was earlier - spin, with not a little p***take I think here.

 

Reading into this, it seems that the rebate is coming out of the MOD budget, instead of the local council or central government.

In other words, those in Afghanistan and Iraq (and elsewhere in due course) will be refunded the money that they have already paid by the MOD. I expect other service allowances will be cut to make up for it (eg those in MQs and SLA to pay more council tax or charges?).

Like everything else these days, the whole thing will have to be "cost neutral".

 

Total numbers deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan: 6800 (Iraq) + 7700 (Afghanistan) = 14500 (source: MoD website)

Total "refund" to be footed by MoD = £140 x 14,500 = £2M. Or 3 Tomahawks missiles. Not exactly breaking the bank, is it?

Anyhow, as intimated above, how is this different from what is currently available by reclaiming council tax? Is it that now the Pongos and Crabs can also get it?

 

Anyone in the forces should be exempt of council tax, There should also be free food & accom.

Its a small price to pay for the way they are being shit on at the minute!

 

The Mail in it comments states that

While based in combat positions, British soldiers get free food and accommodation, although they have to pay council tax on their usually meagre barrack rooms in Britain.

Can someone clarify this bit about paying council tax on their barrack
rooms. Surely this can't be so

 

It's called Charge In Lieu Of Council Tax (CILOCT), although it may be called something else under JPA now.

It's a nominal contribution to the local council to pay for things like rubbish tips, street lighting, road repairs etc that they may have to use sometimes. You know, the same stuff that pikeys use too, but don't pay for.

ps - Sore point regarding "travelling folk" down here.

 

Still called that under JPA and about 5-8 quid a month

 

I pay this here in Naples as I effectively live in SFA, I don't get street lights, rubbish removal or other similar things.
I pay £96 per month for 12 months - my last house in Gosport was only £90 per month for 10 months. I also have to pay 50% council tax for my empty home in the NW of England

I really do think I'm being seen off! Yes, not as much as those in Iraq/Afghanistan but I'm being seen of for 2 and a half years not 6 months!

 

I find this bloody incredible, do you mean to say that all servicemen in barracks are charged a form of council tax.
I wonder if the general public are aware of this.

 

Do you mean Prisoners? :thumright:

Seriously, but slightly off thread, I read an article about this the other day. Some Gypsy bloke (appeared genuine real gypsy caravan, horse, heather etc) has been trying to pay Council Tax. He travels constantly and never stays in one place for more than a week. When he tried to register only one of the councils he approached in about a year had a mechanism for him to pay, the rest couldn't even be bothered to discuss the issue, I believe some narrowboaters who don't have a permanent mooring(and pay tax within their residential mooring fees) have the same problem. Not trying to defend them all as I'm sure some set out to avoid it, but try looking at your council for a solution.

 

So what are you rich guys going to do with all this back money the goverment has kindly going to be giving you?

Spend it on fast cars and even faster women or men and drink I suppose.

Why not use it to buy better equipment that they dont issue you with in the first place,that would be far more usefull.

Sorry,just being cynical and sarcastic as I think its an insult to all serving personnel.

 

140 pound a month off your council tax. All you have to do is spend 6 months getting shot at. More spin. "Look what we're doing for our brave boys. Aren't we good?" A few people wil benefit, and well done them, but a lot of the blokes in the front line are young guys and don't own a house, so what good does it do them?

 

The payment of contributions is by arrangement - in otherwords:

THEY ARE RIPPING YOU OFF

They do not have to have a local arrangement as they are exempt but anything they can do to rob people will be done.

In the words of the revenue themselves:

It is those in charge who have decided off their own bat to charge it.

So they take money they don't have to and give you 25% back - *********.

 

They announced on local TV about the council tax reductions for the Forces tonight, followed by announcing that 40 Commando will be deploying for 6 months to that place where the Tallitubbies live, and the new generosity doesn't start until next April. Generous, or what ?

 

No they wont be aware. The number of civvy friends who were quite frankly shocked (and didn't believe) that married quarters had to pay gas, water, council tax and rent when told is unbelievable.

 

Selective, divisive and typical of this ******* government and it's complacent, arrogant tossers. What about people who serve five and a half months? What if you are on squad rotation? What f you have to return to UK for a course or compassionate?

One hundred and forty ******* pounds. It's an insult that has, once again, skimmed past the bloke on the street, because the most interesting thing at the moment is ******* blue tongue disease and the McCanns.

Brown = Blair minus the theatrics. Only now we have the ******* Millibands as well.

Levers

 

Also where do they get this £140 from - I don't know anywhere in this country that pays £560 council tax, they are all around the thousand and above.