Higher Domestic Rates Planned

October 27, 2010 No Comments

New Domestic Rates Structure Planned

BROWN’S NEW TAX ON ALL OUR HOUSES

Sunday September 2nd2007

By Jason Groves

GORDON Brown is plotting a new property charge that will send bills soaring, the Conservatives claimed last night.

Based on a model used in Denmark, the new scheme would replace council tax with a property charge of one per cent of the value of our homes.

On an average home worth £200,000 the new charge would produce a bill of £2,000a year, compared with an average council tax bill of £1,300 – an increase of more than 50 per cent.

But many living in more valuable homes would pay far more.

A similar scheme has already been imposed in Northern Ireland, where it has sparked a storm of protest. The Government claims it will not be extended to the rest of the UK.

But new documents show that British officials were briefed on the Danish scheme at a conference of European tax inspectors in Spain at the end of last year.

Details of the council tax summit, which have just emerged, show two senior officials from the Valuation Office Agency attended the event. One was the deputy director of council tax Tim Eden.

The two officials, who stayed at the five-star Hesperia Peregrino Hotel inSantiago de Compostela, were given a detailed briefing on the workings of theDanish scheme which allows annual tax increases of up to 20 per cent a year.There is no limit on the total amount a homeowner may be asked to pay.

The British officials revealed details of progress on the council taxrevaluation in this country, telling delegates that the agency’s new £13million

database would allow them to charge people for enjoying a nice view or foradding features such as patios and double glazing.

A total of 22 million homes has now been put on the database. In many cases theentries include photographs taken by inspectors.

Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said that the revelations showedthat a council tax revaluation was under way “by stealth”, despite Governmentdenials.

And he warned bills would soar if ministers imposed the new property tax.Mr Pickles said: “It is now clear that England’s council tax inspectors are

conspiring with European Union officials to hike up taxes on family homes.

“Labour ministers have already introduced a house price tax in Northern Irelandusing the latest ‘Big Brother’ databases, punishing niceneighbourhoods withhigher taxes.

“I now fear that these Euro style taxes are on the way for England, backed upwith frequent tax revaluations. Under Gordon Brown, council tax is literallybecoming a tax on a civilised society, with the extra funds being‘redistributed’ away to Whitehall coffers.

“This is the hallmark of an oppressive and greedy government – finding ever morestealthy ways to tax working families and pensioners.

“Our privacy and property is being raided as these tax sneaks build their bravenew world.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government last night denied ministerswere planning a new property charge.

A spokesman said no revaluation would be carried out until after the nextelection at the earliest.

He added: “This is nothing more than erroneous mischief making. As everyoneknows, there are no plans whatsoever to introduce a property tax or carry out arevaluation as we have made clear time and time again.” But the revelations willfuel public concern about the activities of the agency, which is in charge ofthe council tax revaluation.

The computer system purchased by it allows England to be broken down into 10,000“localities”.

Those living in areas of low crime and good services are likely to be chargedmore in council tax.

A new EU directive allows the property data to be shared with Brussels as part of moves to achieve “greater co-ordination” on property taxes.

Last month it emerged that the agency’s officials have travelled 200,000 milesvisiting 12 countries as they explore new ways to raise taxes and put thepressure on householders back in Britain.The agency ran up a travel and subsistence bill of £4.9million last year, withsome staff even attending a summit at Disneyland in Hong Kong.

EU Truth