[Doofy]

Regulars will notice that I've recently mentioned a problem with my gas supplier (demanding to be let into my house under government regulations) and the ability of TV licencing inspectors to break into your home to make sure you're not telling them porkies.

Here's another little snippet. These fascist bastards we have in power at the moment are, for some reason, desperate to make sure that they can enter your home whenever they feel like it. I guess it's so they can constantly show you who's boss.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...ncouncil25.xml

Council tax inspectors will be given the right to enter homes and fine householders who refuse to cooperate under a new property revaluation scheme, the Conservatives claimed last night.

They accused ministers of "covertly" pushing through new laws that would give the inspectors power to levy fines of up to £1,000 to back up a revaluation that could see council tax bills soar.

The new powers are due to be rubber-stamped today by a little-noticed committee of MPs dealing with delegated legislation reforming the domestic rating system in Northern Ireland.

The Conservatives said Ulster was being used as a testing ground for a looming council tax revaluation in England, which will put extra charges on homes that have double glazing, a scenic view, a swimming pool, or have more bedrooms than average.

The order extends the power of entry for gathering information to domestic properties in Northern Ireland, and obliges the occupier to give reasonable assistance when information is being sought for valuation.

Where a person fails to give reasonable assistance to a valuation officer, they will be guilty of a new offence and liable to a fine of up to £1,000. The offence will be recorded by local police and courts. A further £200-a-day fine can be imposed if householders continue to refuse to cooperate.

The powers are tougher than those already in England, where a fine of up to £500 can be imposed on anybody who "intentionally obstructs" Valuation Office Agency inspectors.

Caroline Spelman, the Conservative's local government spokesman, said Northern Ireland was being used by the Government to try out a reformed revaluation process before it was extended to England's 22 million homes.

She said the Government was looking at a "house price tax" based on a set percentage of the home's value.

The Government has postponed until after the next general election plans to revalue every home in England for council tax. The official reason was to enable the issue to be considered as part of the Lyons review of the financing of local government, which will report shortly.

However, ministers are acutely aware that revaluation is likely to be politically explosive. Every home in Wales was revalued last year, with a third moving up at least one band.

It has been 14 years since the last valuation in England and property prices have risen sharply particularly in London and the South East.

According to the Conservatives, authorities in England and Northern Ireland have acquired the same computer database, which will include details of each property.

A sales video produced by the American company which has developed the new system shows how the "data collectors" should enter properties, and shows the inspector going into people's bedrooms and bathrooms to collect the necessary data.

The Department for Communities and Local Government accused the Tories of "scaremongering". A spokesman said it was "completely wrong to suggest that the current revaluation in Northern Ireland is a testing ground for England".

No decisions would be taken on changes to the council tax system in England until ministers had considered Sir Michael Lyons' report.

I have a feeling as to how this will work (gained through experience)... ...they'll just turn up on your doorstep unannounced whenever they feel like it. If you don't let them in they'll fine you and begin the 200 GBP per day clock running. It won't matter that you're out of the country on vacation for a month or that you're at work and can't get time off.

[Zeeb]

Wow, that's harsh. When I was growing up tax assessors in MI would would walk around outside of our house and take notes but never asked to come inside--though I don't know if they went into other people's homes. It's kind of intrusive to have the tax man actually walk through your house.

I agree with you that they will probably want to come visit during standard working hours-- and knowing how governments work they will just automatically fine you if you're not there no matter what. Maybe that's the whole point-to generate fines.

[TETENAL]

Why do you have a property tax on your house anyway? That sounds like the root cause of the problem.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

Why do you have a property tax on your house anyway?

Because when the alternative was introduced (poll tax), all the hippies went batsh*t crazy and started rioting. Apparently they didn't like the idea that a bloke in a big house who puts out one bin of trash per week should be paying the same for trash removal as a bloke who puts out one bin of trash but lives in a small house.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Zeeb 

It's kind of intrusive to have the tax man actually walk through your house.

Intrusion is kind of the MO of this government.

Originally Posted by Zeeb 

I agree with you that they will probably want to come visit during standard working hours-- and knowing how governments work they will just automatically fine you if you're not there no matter what. Maybe that's the whole point-to generate fines.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if that's the reason. Pretty much everything this government dreams up involves taking your money off you.

[TETENAL]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Because when the alternative was introduced (poll tax), all the hippies went batsh*t crazy and started rioting. Apparently they didn't like the idea that a bloke in a big house who puts out one bin of trash per week should be paying the same for trash removal as a bloke who puts out one bin of trash but lives in a small house.

The value of your house has nothing to do with the amount of trash you produce. A tax that punishes maintenance and investment in housing and promotes its decay is counter-productive. A tax on the size of the parcel (as in Germany) or the living-area of the house regardless of its condition would solve the hippies issue as well as your concern with privacy.

[zwiebel_]

TETENAL
FFM=Frankfurt am Main?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

The value of your house has nothing to do with the amount of trash you produce.

Exactly.

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

A tax that punishes maintenance and investment in housing and promotes its decay is counter-productive

Yep. Someone who spends all their money getting blotto and causing fights (see UK binge drinking problem) and lives in a hovel will be taxed less than an upright citizen who stays home at night, doesn't get wasted and prefers to spend their money on making their place nice. That ain't right.

Originally Posted by TETENAL 

A tax on the size of the parcel (as in Germany) or the living-area of the house regardless of its condition would solve the hippies issue as well as your concern with privacy.

I'm not too concerned with what the hippies think. I reckon a per-person tax was a good thing (obviously with allowances for those too poor to pay). The tax in question goes to fund the local police, local services, community swimming pool, trash collection, etc.. Even if my floor space is larger than next door's, I don't take up any more space in the local swimming baths, don't require any extra policing or generate more garbage.

Maybe an ideal situation would be for a per-person tax with a surcharge for excess body mass, since fat folks use up more space in the swimming baths and are likely to generate more garbage (food packaging, etc).

Anyways... In recent months, it's been leaked from certain government offices that "having a nice view" will cause you to be taxed more. And for the full extent of all this stupidity, it's been leaked that having a rabbit hutch on your back lawn would be considered an "improvement" and see your tax raised (no kidding).

Like I've been saying for a while... The UK: Owned and operated by idiots.