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Council Tax Discount

RonaRona
edited April 2011 in Local discussion
Am I being unduly cynical, but is Haringey Council hoping for a huge non response to its quite threatening letter that it slipped in with its Council Tax Guide asking all those who receive the Council Tax discount to sign a form that they are living alone? I pay my tax by direct debit and often don't get round to looking at the guide - I just file it. It was only because someone alerted me to this that I looked inside. The letter is written in the most bureaucratic and unfriendly language, and - there is no prepaid envelope to send the thing back!! What if you are poor, old and English is not your first language?
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Comments

  • graemegraeme
    edited April 2011
    Thought this too, but was unsurprised at the Council's "You are a crook by default" tone - it's their standard approach with Council Tax.

    The website says something about a duty to protect the public funds, which is *always* the case, so why they're threatening folk now does make it look like they want a wedge of free cash from probably the least expensive members of the community.

    I felt a bit better by writing on the form that as an upstanding member of the community I would inform them if my circumstances changed, and until that time they could stop assuming I was attempting to commit fraud.

    ps: I decided life was too short to get upset about this stuff when I received the "have you returned your census? It's the LAW!" letter this week - fuck sake, there must be a lot of cash sloshing around somewhere if The Man can afford to send everyone a reminder by first class post - even those who have already returned the census. Great use of public funds.
    [edit:I returned my census promptly when I received it]
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  • RonaRona
    edited 8:05PM
    Agree really - life is too short for this sort of nonsense - but I was thinking of the more vulnerable members of Haringey who may even get their discount taken away! Added to which I was incensed by the fact I had to dig out an envelope and a stamp. As I hardly write letters any more - these things are not exactly to hand - a trivial point really but annoying!
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  • ADGSADGS
    edited 8:05PM
    A census reminder by post - even with the rise in the cost of stamps - is still cheaper than sending someone door-to-door, which we got. Though in fairness we were a week overdue because the departing flatmate didn't understand the whole 'census' concept.
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  • EmmaEmma
    edited 8:05PM
    So they send round actual people if you haven't completed your form, and just send a written reminder if you have..?
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  • RonaRona
    edited 8:05PM
    Yes they are really coordinated!! I have a friend who is being trained (by Lockhead Martin no doubt!!) on this very day to be a Census chaser-uperer. She says they issue them with lists of people who have't returned their forms.
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  • SiolaeSiolae
    edited 8:05PM
    I haven't had my demand from Islington yet. Anyone else not or should I call them? I pay by direct debit so don't really think about it but seem to remember having to set it up again every year.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User]
    edited 8:05PM
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
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  • andyandy
    edited 8:05PM
    How do they know you're there if you haven't done the census yet? Because if there's a list good enough to chase you with, what's the census for?
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  • kreuzkavkreuzkav
    edited April 2011
    I think the census people chase up households rather than individuals. As far as I know, as soon as your census form arrives at their centres they scan them immediately to acknowledge their return. There was a barcode beside the return address. I put mine in the post on the Monday after Census Day and was surprised to receive the warning letter a few days later (Thursday I think). It wasn't until I read the end of the letter (that stated to ignore the letter if you'd already sent your form in) I realised they were probably sent to everyone.
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  • SimonBSimonB
    edited 8:05PM
    Did my census online ... took all of 10 minutes ... not sure what the fuss is about :)
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  • ADGSADGS
    edited 8:05PM
    I did have to explain which properties from the address list actually existed in our building, and which did not, so maybe it was just because we're a problematic property in that way that we got an early visit, in order that they knew who needed letters. Not that we've had any yet.
    (And his ID seemed in order, and he didn't want to get in, so if it was a scam it was one of uncertain purpose. Though he did look about 15, so maybe he had just nicked his big brother's stuff and was playing dress-up?)
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  • RonaRona
    edited 8:05PM
    @andy - shame on you - and a consultant and all!!! You know well enough that the census yields useful information on demography, employment, health etc - I'm sure you use it for your work!! Are you being disingenuous - and for why? What is the point? You must know well enough that it is more than enumerating the population.
    @Simon - I agree wholeheartedly
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  • andyandy
    edited April 2011
    @Rona - I just wonder if it wouldn't be cheaper and more effective to draw that sort of information from the multiplicity of existing databases. Experian/Voting records/Tesco clubcard data. I read recently that the data mining on credit cards is so sophisticated that they know two years ahead of time that someone is likely to get divorced. In that context, taking a big national paper survey that is supposed to last you for 10 years seems like a very 1950s - and very civil service - way of thinking about things. But yes, shame on me. How unreasonable of me to ask stupid questions.
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  • EmmaEmma
    edited 8:05PM
    Everyone knows that the census is so that you can get on telly in 100 years when your famous decendants are on Who Do You Think You Are.
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