£380,000 owed to Town Hall in unpaid council tax
8:41am Thursday 17th January 2013 in Local
PEOPLE in Bolton owe the council more than £380,000 in unpaid council tax.
Bolton magistrates have granted the council liability orders for 692 residents who have not paid their council tax — despite numerous reminders and court summons being sent to them.
In total, £383,477 has not been paid.
It comes after the council took 725 residents to court who owed a total of £414,658. The total amount owed is £798,136 Most of the unpaid bills date from the current financial year 2012/13, but there are some from previous years.
The liability order means the council has the power to bring in bailiffs to recover the money if it is not paid.
In the most recent case, the council sent summons to 891 residents who had not paid their Council Tax.
Of that number, 692 were taken to court and so far, 184 have made arrangements to pay.
Bolton Council will send a letter to the remaining 508 people to ask them to provide income details and to pay the amount in full or make a payment arrangement.
The council has also been forced to issue liability orders for businesses who have not paid their rates.
In October, 49 businesses, who owed £253,430 in unpaid rates, were taken to court.
And the council took another 71 businesses to court who owed £235,520.
The council has said liability orders are seen as a last resort.
People are first sent a bill. If they miss a payment they are sent a reminder and if more instalments are missed they are sent a reminder.
If the money is still not paid they are issued with a summons and taken to court. A council spokesman said: “The majority of our residents pay their council tax on time and we usually collect between 96 and 97 per cent of charges by the end of the financial year, and then continue to collect arrears after that.
“We do understand in the current economic climate there are people who are struggling or unable to pay their bills. However, we do have a duty to collect money in order to fund public services and we will take people to court if reminders are ignored.
“If people are struggling we would encourage them to get in touch as we may be able to help. ”
Comments(13)
georgethebrave
says...
11:35am Thu 17 Jan 13
exiled
says...
1:04pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Council tax evasion is no different to benefit fraud, as both defraud the public purse.
Those in arrears should be placed into an arrangement whereby they undertake voluntary work to offset their charge.
steveG
says...
2:37pm Thu 17 Jan 13
boltonnut
says...
3:04pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Sick of paying of paying for the idle who DONT want to work!
says...
3:13pm Thu 17 Jan 13
PDY
says...
4:00pm Thu 17 Jan 13
steveG wrote:The vast majority of people may agree with you but fulfill their civic and moral duty by paying. To correct you, it doesn't just "serve to maintain too many highly paid, undeserving people in council" it also goes toward keeping your dustbin emptied and the roads free from snow and ice in the winter. It also goes toward libraries, meals on wheels for the elderly etc etc. So, if everybody opted to pay nothing, despite the fact that it is based on your ability to pay due to the banding levels which determine the cost to each household, we would have no revenue and, by definition no services.
Council tax is unaffordable for many people,is poor value and only serves to maintain too many highly paid,undeserving people in council Management.
You are obviously one of those people who wants all the services but does not want to pay.
steveG
says...
4:08pm Thu 17 Jan 13
PDY wrote:You are obviously one of those people who jump to conclusions without the necessary evidence.
steveG wrote:The vast majority of people may agree with you but fulfill their civic and moral duty by paying. To correct you, it doesn't just "serve to maintain too many highly paid, undeserving people in council" it also goes toward keeping your dustbin emptied and the roads free from snow and ice in the winter. It also goes toward libraries, meals on wheels for the elderly etc etc. So, if everybody opted to pay nothing, despite the fact that it is based on your ability to pay due to the banding levels which determine the cost to each household, we would have no revenue and, by definition no services.
Council tax is unaffordable for many people,is poor value and only serves to maintain too many highly paid,undeserving people in council Management.
You are obviously one of those people who wants all the services but does not want to pay.
Phil from Smithills
says...
4:37pm Thu 17 Jan 13
georgethebrave wrote:Finding them to take to court will be the problem.
Maybe if all the bums that don't pay their council tax had a prayer room they would be exempt from paying it?
When my car was damaged on a supermarket car park, the driver did not live in Bradford Street, as his car registration stated.
aardwolf
says...
8:33pm Thu 17 Jan 13
VIGILANTE VIC
says...
10:21pm Thu 17 Jan 13
THE OLD SYSTEM BEFORE THE DREADED POLL TAX CAME IN WAS THE RATES BUT AS USUAL THEY BRING OUT AN UNFAIR POLL TAX IN IT'S PLACE, AND IN APRIL THE "BEDROOM TAX" IS INTRODUCED, THE REASON BEING TO MANY IMMIGRANTS, MIGRANTS, CALL THEM WHAT YOU WILL HAVE FLOODED THIS COUNTRY AND NOW THERE IS NO HOUSING, THE NHS IS OVERBURDENED, SCHOOLS ARE FULL, DOCTORS ARE FULL, ETC,ETC, AND BEFORE ANY OF YOU GET ON YOUR SOAPBOXES I WILL JUST SAY IF I COULD AFFORD TO LEAVE THIS COUNTRY TOMORROW I WOULD BE OFF, THE COUNTRY'S F-----D :-)
Citizen Cane
says...
10:59pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Stop the gravy train for everyone and the unworthy immigrants will stop coming and those who can't reproduce without their hands in the taxpayers' pockets will stop doing so.
The retirement age needs to go north too and the public sector pension arrangements need to be put on the same basis as most private sector schemes.
Public sector "employment" needs to be reduced by 20% at least - the lead-swinging rump that everyone knows about. You know, the whingers, moaners and sickie throwers.
If you did all that, taxation would be lower and the books would be balanced. Job Done.
Marzi30
says...
11:27pm Thu 17 Jan 13
Sick of paying of paying for the idle who DONT want to work! says...
9:39am Thu 17 Jan 13