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Stories about government plans to revalue the council tax base “by stealth” are a regular favourite for the Conservatives. In the latest instance, the party has seized on a contract the Valuation Office Agency has signed with property data firm Rightmove.
Anyway, here’s an informed take on the issue by the mysterious ‘Local Government Officer’, responding to coverage in the Sunday Express.
http://thelocalgovernmentofficer.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/nice-place-youve-got-here/
UPDATE
Just to emphasise the flimsiness of these 'revaluation by stealth' stories, the VOA has got in touch to point out that they haven't actually signed a contract with Rightmove, a contract they signed with them in 2005 has come to an end and the VOA has started a tender exercise to replace that contract. Until that contract is signed, they have agreed a deal to continue to have access to Rightmove's data.
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From Civic Regalia
LGC’s political editor Dan Drillsma-Milgrom blogs on all aspects of town hall life
Readers' comments (1)
Christine Melsom | 19-Jan-2010 3:44 pm
The Government is still wedded to CT. If they get back in again it is probable - indeed likely - that there will be a property revaluation. This could be disastrous for CT payers. Rather than push general taxation higher they will dump as much as possible on to local government and let them take the blame.
The revaluation in Wales was trumpeted as being "revenue-neutral" i.e. the revaluation would not result in any more, or any less, CT being collected: it would just be a redistribution to make the whole thing "fairer". What they said was that 25% of CT payers would see an increase; 25% would see a decrease and 50% would be unaffected.
What actually happened was that the revaluation ALONE resulted in 9% more CT being demanded. Only 8% ended up paying less, and 32% ended up having to pay more. Some had to pay a LOT more, which is why they also had to bring in a "transitional relief" scheme where people who were bumped up several bands were bumped up one CT band per year until they ended up in what was considered to be the band.
If the same revaluation exercise here in England goes the way the revaluation went in Wales - and bearing in mind this government has a record of not learning from past mistakes - the majority of us would end up out of pocket
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