[barend]

£1,000 fine for householders who refuse council tax 'snoopers'

24.10.06

A new army of council tax 'inspectors' is to be given the right to enter people's homes and issue fines to anyone who refuses to cooperate.

Camera-wielding officials will be able to take photographs inside properties, including bedrooms, and rule they should pay more if they have home improvements such as patios and conservatories.

Residents could be fined £1,000, and then £200 every day after that, if they do not let the inspectors in or fail to properly 'assist' them.

The Conservatives branded the proposals a snoopers' charter that would trample over fundamental civil liberties.

Homeowners are expected to face higher council tax bills if they enjoy good views or have improved their property by building an extension or putting in double glazing.

These would be deemed 'site positive' features that enhanced the value of a property under a planned revaluation of all 21 million homes in England.

The new tax system will require detailed information about every home.

Under a new house price tax, 'site positive' features would include gardens, patios, conservatories, double glazing, scenic views, number of bedrooms and number of parking spaces.

Shadow local government secretary Caroline Spelman said legislation being discussed in Parliament today would pave the way for council tax inspectors to have new powers to enter and assess properties.

In an alarming addition, residents who 'fail to give reasonable assistance' or do not cooperate with the inspectors will be fined £1,000 and be recorded on local police and court records.

If the householder continues to obstruct, hinder or fail to provide assistance, they can be fined £200 per day on top, she said.

The Tories claim ministers are quietly introducing the new scheme in Northern Ireland before rolling it out nationwide, just as Margaret Thatcher piloted the community charge in Scotland before introducing it in England and Wales.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Caroline Spelman said: "Northern Ireland is now being used as a testing ground for Gordon Brown's tax inspectors, from the levying of a new house price tax, to the use of invasive Big Brother computer databases, to new aggressive state powers to enter family homes.

"Labour craves these powers since they want to tax every feature of people's homes - including bedrooms, conservatories, double glazing and garden sheds.

"For all of Labour's talk of human rights, these new powers are the footprint of an oppressive and greedy government.

"Conservatives will resist these new authoritarian powers and will stand up for people's property, privacy and liberty."

more here

thanks to deepsycher for this article and title

i hope they plan on giving notice at least.

"uh yeah, dude thing is.. i'd love for you to come in right now and take photos of everything but the naked girl in my lounge room may have a problem with it... can you come back tommorow? or even in two hours?"

"no sir, i'm sorry, either i get a look or your in for 1000 quid!"

,my favorite part was this: ""Conservatives will resist these new authoritarian powers and will stand up for people's property, privacy and liberty.""

as they have always done...

[Deepsycher]

And I thought that Ireland was about to be given it's independence slowly.
With farmers and people refusing to pay the high water enforced metering bills and now this I can see that the IRA has no reason to cooperate. I think they had it all planned along to water down their opponents and then do as they like.

[blueoceans]

because being bush beats being bad but barely beats bombing baghdad. bush begins by borrowing..bush bows, bush begs, big banks buffer budgets ballistically but begin befreiending begging bush by being banded. baghdad beseats bush by beheading bystanders brashly. bureaucratic bills boggle bushs brainstorming, but besides being battled by brawn, bush bears broodening brought by beseiged brilliance.

[Sailor Abbey]

because being bush beats being bad but barely beats bombing baghdad. bush begins by borrowing..bush bows, bush begs, big banks buffer budgets ballistically but begin befreiending begging bush by being banded. baghdad beseats bush by beheading bystanders brashly. bureaucratic bills boggle bushs brainstorming, but besides being battled by brawn, bush bears broodening brought by beseiged brilliance.

What?


This is the sort of tripe that makes me wonder how Brits have the nerve to talk shit about the US. You guys are just as screwed.

[Dr Lecter]

What?
This is the sort of tripe that makes me wonder how Brits have the nerve to talk shit about the US. You guys are just as screwed.

The difference is that Blair can spell tax.

P.S. I hate my overtaxing, warmonging, opressive, etc government. I just hope I can get the fuck out of this country before the Conservatives get in again. Fuck, Conservative Power II: With a Vengence. They'll try and finish the job they almost suceeded with last time: the destruction of Britain. Help me! The French? The Dutch (oh yes, please)? The Germans? Hell, even Icelandics (I don't care if you have no army), please, make them all go away!

This post has been edited by Dr Lecter: 01 November 2006 - 02:20 PM

[Deepsycher]

Imagining such people coming into my house. They'll start to exxagerate how pretty things look and charge me for it.

"You could fit three double beds in this room. That'd be 100 quid."
"The mass majority don't usually have attics and they very rarely have baths in them. A home would only have one toilet. I have even seen 10 people share a toilet. A toilet for just one person, that'd be 200 quid."

"Very rarely I see marble flooring and woolen carpets, all luxuries, that'd be 90 quid."
"You have a large window, for someone like you who don't look out all the time, I don't think you need it. The large window and view that'd 100 quid"
"You have a skylight window with the luxury of looking out on it." That'd be 150 quid.

"You HAVE to STOP and THINK "do I really need all of this?" "You see the mass majority only need a bit of your living space and what you got."

"For someone like you as a single person, by moving into a small single bedroom flat with one or two small windows you could save yourself a lot of money whilst YOU provide a HOME for 11 homeless people.

"All we are trying to do is to make effecient use out of property spaces to maximise them to the full. Good for the nation and good for our tax. We let people have their homes if they wish but that will depend on their income and ability to pay. One factor should include maintanance, and if they can't afford tax they couldn't even afford that. The more people share the cheaper and the more economical it will be."


"You can still have your attic beyond our recommendations but it won't be cost effective as you'll have to pay the equivalent for 6 people"

"Not everyday do we see extensions, the majority of our people so far don't have or want extensions. That'd be 120 quid."


I was having serious economic considerations of not being able to escape a fire behind me in a small flat with small windows. That is not the point, the point is, this place is my place, everyone has to work to earn it. It might be like "work till you drop" in that someone brought the place spent their life doing it up and living in it but can no longer live there because they can't afford to pay the tax.

In other words it is as if the property isn't owned by the buyers or the occupants. People would then pay the full price for buying the house as the privilege of staying inside and the tax they pay would be rent in disguise. The income could dictate the size of the house. Just like window tax centuries ago except they are taking it further.

This is what I see and sense.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 01 November 2006 - 09:34 PM

[barend]

don't forget swamp tax

[Chyld]

Right, that does it.

*books a plane flight to Any Country Apart From England, starts packing*

[Dr Lecter]

I'm already going to emigrate as soon as I get my degree.

[Deepsycher]

Will the land be greener over the other side?


Last time I read that they are going to introduce a further tax for people who park outside their own homes. I think the tax is only for people who don't own driveways and park at the side of the streets (which is not owned by them.) Another example of big business.

But I know they will think of something:
The mass majority are taxed for parking their cars so why should those with driveways be any different? Why can't they pay the tax like every loyal citizen using cars?


"Your lands looks pretty and trendy unlike the majority, you only find this at farms and farmers have higher taxes to pay, that 2000 quid."

Is your house BBBIIIGGG?
Like GAS GUZZLERS and CHELSEA TRACTORS, we tough people think your house could be a LAND GUZZLER therefore must be taxed further or if we had are way we would be knocking it down to build flats over it. Which can house more majorities of people than you can imagine.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 03 November 2006 - 04:05 PM

[Slade]

Where do they get the nerve and authority to evaluate first your view, and then think that they can somehow convert that into a tax on said view?

[Deepsycher]

They did on televisions channels. I remember surveyors who went round surveying people over 18 on the programs they like to watch years ago. The popular the program the more likely they'll show the next series on subscriber channels. Sometimes they were cut half short for me.

First they watch what people do then they work against. This is growing as it is now becoming further a surveillance society, such as speed cameras, enforced satelite trackers in some employees cars so companies can keep track of where they go and soon David Millband has another Secret band. He wants to make pay per where you drive insurance (PAYD) compulsory by opinion in some articles I read. So that would mean people being taxed where they go, what time and road conditions.

Also to consider their plans to compulsory meter everybody. Last time I read I think their "vulnerable scheme" only covers the minimum of three children under the age of 18 - 19. I see it is common for families to have two children so this is no good to them.

Also the flooding of speed cameras, even ones that makes mistakes and before people who were wrongfully fined had to pay ten to twenty pounds just for the police to send them a photo to confirm whether it was their car.

It is NOT alright for people to evade taxes by chance but soon it will be alright to allow people to gamble their money by CHANCE at supercasino's. The government will get their fair share of tax on that.

Next thing I read is that they want to monitor people inside their homes and fit tracking things inside hands. I think it was for work purposes. To make your way into someone's house to take pictures and to make use out of personal information, I forgot to check, does this violate the Data Protection Act?


For this here I present a song I agree with:

Every breath you take
Every move you make
Every bond you break
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Every single day
Every word you say
Every game you play
Every night you stay
Ill be watching you

Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every step you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Since youve gone I been lost without a trace
I dream at night I can only see your face
I look around but its you I cant replace
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
I keep crying baby, baby, please...

Oh, cant you see
You belong to me
How my poor heart aches
With every breath you take

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
Ill be watching you

Every move you make
Every step you take
Ill be watching you

Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you
Ill be watching you...

One day it could be like a black mailing society where people are allowed to do wrong (thinking that they would get away with it) but controlled by the government who would otherwise use the surviellance of their wrongdoings for when necessary to work against and control them. Now I read that they can log I think up to five years of someone's activites for phone calls and internet use.

This post has been edited by Deepsycher: 05 November 2006 - 09:51 PM

[blueoceans]

What?
This is the sort of tripe that makes me wonder how Brits have the nerve to talk shit about the US. You guys are just as screwed.

The only problem is, I'm an American, born and raised.

[Sailor Abbey]

I meant "what" to your post, but then my comment about the brits was related to the article. Sorry about the confusion.