Council Tax
What is Council Tax?
 |
Council Tax is used to help pay for services such as refuse
collection, police and education. More details of how the money
will be spent can be found in our 2012/13 Combined
Council Tax Leaflet and the West Mercia Police Leaflet.
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Council Tax is paid on occupied and unoccupied domestic
properties although there are some exemptions.
The person responsible for the bill will normally pay Council
Tax on a property if it is their main home. There are some
exceptions to this.
If there is only one adult (over 18) living at the property, a
25% discount may be applied for. There are several other categories
which may affect the amount you pay (see Discounts, Reliefs and
Exemptions).
There is also Council Tax Benefit scheme for people on low
incomes. You can estimate any Benefits due to you by using the
Benefits Calculator but for a full
evaluation make a formal claim as soon as possible.
New or altered properties which remain empty after a Completion
Notice has been served are liable for Council Tax.
Council Tax Valuation and Banding
The
current list of banding charges is available for 2012/13
Most dwellings are subject to the council tax. There will be one
bill per dwelling, whether it is a house, bungalow, flat,
maisonette, mobile home or houseboat, and whether it is owned or
rented. Each dwelling has been placed in one of the following eight
bands according to its open market capital value at 1 April
1991.
The band which your property falls in is dependent on the value
of your property as of 1st April 1991. For more information on
valuation issues (including appeals), please go to the Valuation Office Agency website.
| Band |
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
Band |
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
| A |
up to
|
£40,000
|
E |
£88,001
|
£120,000
|
| B |
£40,001
|
£52,000
|
F |
£120,001
|
£160,000
|
| C |
£52,001
|
£68,000
|
G |
£160,001
|
£320,000
|
| D |
£68,001
|
£88,000
|
H |
£320,001
|
and above
|
Direct Debit - Why not choose a better way to pay your Council
Tax?
You can choose to pay on the 1st, 10th, 15th or 25th
of the month if you switch to paying your Council Tax through your
Bank or Building Society account by Direct Debit. Your annual bill
will be collected in 10 instalments April to January.
If you apply for Direct Debit through the financial year you
will be notified of the dates and amounts of the instalments to be
collected. You will receive a minimum of 10 days notice before the
first collection date.
Apply to
pay by Direct Debit now, contact Customer Services or download a Direct
Debit form.
