TelBoy

unclebuck - do you bunk train fares too?

Sorry, no sympathy here either.

I bet most firemen pay their Council Tax.....

Diablo

LOL as a non council tax payer you have what right exactly to comment on the fire fighters strike and pay claims?

unclebuck

Diablo and Telboy - you ****. I pay *loads* of Council Tax where I live. The property in question was unoccupied and in a part of the country where I don't use *any* publc services so why should I pay Council Tax on that. If you study some of links on here you will see that even the Government realises this is a stupid tax rule and are planning to reform it.

Scoobydick - the name says it all.

Jye_0

No name calling please, I hate to see a good post brought to its knees by this kind of insidious behaviour

TelBoy

unclebuck, because, at the moment, that's the law.

What makes you think you're above the law?

How does pointing that out make me a "***"?

Scumbag

So, I dont use libraries, so I should reduce my council tax payments
I have private medical insurance, dont use NHS, so I wont pay some of my income tax
Maybe I think supermarkets rip me off, therefore only pay for some of the products I walk out with

Its people who pay their taxes that subsidise the scum that dont. Here's to a happy prison sentence for non-payment of fines (oh please dont...it's not fair....)

Grow up tosser

unclebuck

scumbag - once again the name says it all. My world is not so black and white as yours clearly

Fair taxation is fine. If I don't agree with *one pacticular* tax rule I'll try to avoid paying it. **** me what about all the 'fat cats' with offshore bank accounts who avoid paying 100s of thousands in tax. Go and get mad at them instead[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Any sane person tries to pay as little tax as possible. - except you apparently

TelBoy

Of course we try and pay as little tax as possible.

But not by breaking the law. Can you see the difference?

bros2

To say "ooh, it doesn't seem fair to me" is to ignore that fact that you're part of society, and HAVE to pay, regardless of your views on the matter.

You're guilty, have to pay up, and there's an end to it. Do your best to make sure the bailiffs don't have to come back, because you'll be getting charged for their every visit.

Good luck

bros

unclebuck

Some of the outstanding amount is actually from the period when I had a tenent in there. He didn't pay it - not me - as I explained to the Council at the time. however they have gone ahead and are trying to get from me anyway.. So, where is the justice in that that??[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

Telboy - as I said - don't tell me you never break the rules. Or, Let him who is without sin cast the first stone

TelBoy

On stuff like that, no. I would lose my job in an instant if i was convicted. Fortunately, it's not in my nature to be tempted to do it anyway. And that's not being sanctimonious in any way.

I'm sure there are many self-employed people on here who are adept at "minimising" their tax liabilities. But on Council Tax, the law is the law is the law. Sure, there are many laws/taxes i don't like, but breaking/not paying them isn't in my opinion a valid method of displaying disapproval.

unclebuck

bros - I know, it's a fair cop and I have to pay it. What's not fair (and pi$$es me off) is that they didn't say anything like 'contact us in the next seven days or we bring in the debt collectors' first - they just did it 'out of the blue'

And yes I've talked to the guy. He's only doing his job, so I'm not mad at him. He will sort out a 20 week payment period of paying off installments I now have to go back to the Council to reclaim the money that was the responsibility of my tenant to pay, jeez. Luckily I have his signature on a legally binding tenancy agreement with the name and address of his old man as guarentor. I was hoping to spare them all this, but it looks as though I will have to stich them up now.

Chrisgr31

I take it you ignored my advice to look at the DETR website/ If the property was vacant after your tenant moved out then you have the right to either a full or partial exemption (I can't remember which). Also if the building was undergoing refurbishemnt there is a right to a full or partial exemption. So I would check you have had all the exemptions you are entitled to.

Having said that had you been honest with the council at the time, it would have been a lot easier to prove your right to the exemptions. Certainly Councils are easier to talk before they take action to recover debts than afterwards.

Chris

unclebuck

Chris,

I did take your advice and will be following those lines of enquiry (as I did at the time). Dealing with Bristol Council is like wading through treacle though. You can make loads of phone calls and send them loads of e-mails. And then their machinery just keeps on churning out the same demands as if they'd never been received. After a while I just gave up.

S'pose I will have to try again

beemerboy

my advice,

go down the council office and pay some of the debt, say £50
get a reciept.

this should cover you for the heavies, as you are trying to pay the debt back!!!

valid points from some of the thread is
a) you don't "own" any of the goods in the house!!
b) they can't forcefully come in without plod in attendance!!

good luck mate.

BB

Jye_0

who cares

Gaz Jones

Face it m8, they will always win, I just had a letter from the bailiffs, about a parking fine from 2 years ago, thing is i never received said parking ticket and knew nowt about it.

No matter what you say to them, you will eventually have to give in and pay.

so goodbye to my £140 hard earned!!!!!
thanks
gaz

p.s I didnt vote labour and agree with not taking part in any of their new "laws"
i wish....

Mr evolution

There is always a way I got a ticket for no seatbelt last week so I'm going to sign the back of the slip request a court appearance then state in court that I have been unemployed for a long period and cannot pay until I sign on the rock and roll claim housing benefit etc then pay 1 pound a week. I think ten times the original fine is a reasonable amount to claim in expenses then taking into account my one and only speeding ticket a few parking fines etc I think year of claiming the dole will be in order. Cheers tax payers for paying for my irresponsable motoring.

Gaz Jones

i cant take it to court to contest it, i never received the ticket and it was 2 years ago.

got me by the short and curlies

gaz

58GT

Whatever. S'your money.

Scumbag

But didnt you say that you deliberately didnt tell them where you had moved to, hoping to get away with it.

So the Council will have posted a summons to you, which (due to trying to avoid paying the tax) you didnt get (I'll assume you had no mail redirection set up).

So what is anyone (council or otherwise) expected to do for a bad debt, and non-appearance in court?

answer: bailiffs who then track you down

(and apologies for being a bit shirty yesterday I was having a bad day !!!)

co55ie

Unclebuck are the council concerned aware that the house was unoccupied and had no furniture in it for the time the property was being renovated ? You are entitled to a massive discount if you are not living there and there is no furniture in the property.

Mark Underwood

unclebuck....this may help you.

http://www.debthelpuk.co.uk/law/bailiffs_costs.htm

Jay m A

iTrader: (2)

I've just bought a property that I am renovating, I am not living in the borough, nor will it be occupied or furnished. I am applying for a 6 month exemption, details here. Maybe this could have/will apply for you?

Justin

unclebuck

Thanks guys. Signed an agreement to pay off the arrears plus costs this morning.

Now I have to take on the Council to get their incorrect tax decisions reversed and get my money back *plus* the additional costs I've incurred.

ub

Luke

Uncle

make a full receipt for all goods etc in your house/property /car etc . You have sold everything in the property to a friend (£17.29....You dont have anything worth much!!) Get friend to sign & date etc.

When they visit show them this and invite them off your property.

You have nothing...they have nothing

[Edited by Luke - 2/4/2003 8:19:00 PM]

boomer

unclebuck,

i did a quick web-search and found the following site:

http://www.debthelpuk.co.uk/law/bailiffs.htm

Have a read - lots of info including...

The Bailiffs Rights of Entry

The Bailiff cannot force entry into a domestic property. The bailiff can walk through an open door, climb over a garden wall, enter through an unlocked door or climb through an open window.

The Bailiff can force entry and seize goods if a debtor defaults on a Walking Possession Agreement.A Walking Possession Agreement can only be made after peaceful entry.

Walking Possession Agreement
This is an agreement signed by the debtor which allows the goods to remain with the debtor as long as they keep to a payment arrangement. However if the debtor defaults on a payment arrangement the bailiff can return, force entry, and seize the goods.

Thus be very careful tonight and tomorrow (i.e. don't open the door ), until you can contact the CAB and the Council concerned.

mb


[Edited to include a slightly more direct URL]


[Edited by boomer - 2/4/2003 9:52:46 PM]

unclebuck

Mog - that's the catch mate *Assuming* the money they want is from when I owned the flat, I didn't pay it for the reasons I gave above, I should have paid it, but I didn't. I suppose that I was hoping they would right it off once I sold it


The thing is... why Bailiffs FFS [img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] they might have warned me 'one last time' so to speak :grr:


[Edited by unclebuck - 2/4/2003 11:08:03 PM]

unclebuck

What a load of sanctimonious claptrap. so if someone made a law telling you to throw loads of money down a drain you would blindly obey it? That's what a *** would do

[Edited by unclebuck - 2/5/2003 3:36:59 PM]

carl

Yes, normal people try to do tax avoidance (i.e. using legal means to reduce your tax bill as much as possible). What you're doing is tax evasion

I don't agree with the 70mph speed limit on motorways, but unfortunately it's the law and if I break it I have to pay the consequences.

I did once have this great idea that people who didn't vote for the current government (in this case the Labour party) shouldn't have to be bound by any new laws they impose.

[Edited by carl - 2/5/2003 5:14:50 PM]