Intersting case of my council tax

[alham]

Interesting case.

As a self employed with business suffering in the last few years we started claiming a council tax benefit. so for the last three years I would fill in the form, get a provisional rebate which was adjusted once my year-end accounts were available. However, every time it would take Council two or three appeals before they arrived at correct figures, but each time liabilities would be adjusted to include previous years. Mess but was getting through with some perseverance.

Anyway, this year, after three adjustments arrived at a figure which seemed correct which I was paying monthly using their phone payment line. One payment was late and I received a red letter claiming a whole amount above without any of this year's payments credited. On the phone I requested the list of payments and received through the post a statement of the account for the last three years. First I've checked amounts against my bank statements and found over £700 taken and not credited!!! Also, two payments were credited but for the wrong amount. When disputed I was told that it was my responsibility to check EVERYTIME that the payment was credited correctly and that they would do nothing unless KI can prove that the money was in their account.

Obviously, I will get this resolved but a note - I suggest that everyone periodically checks that councils credits their money correctly!

[bluebottle]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

I have never heard a local authority come out with such a load of bovine excrement. It is your responsibility to ensure the payments have been taken from your bank account, but it is the local authority's responsibility to ensure they apply funds to the correct account(s). Ask them which piece of legislation requires a CT payer to ensure payments have been credited to the correct CT account. I would not be surprised if they were stuck for words.

[alham]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

Thanks, I'll throw this line in when responding to them.

[ploddertom]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

The chances are that was has happened is you have paid using 1 particular reference number which may only allocate funds to a particular account. This should probably change on a yearly basis. Once that account is paid surpluses are carried over. The monies should be held by the Council in a "suspense" account until such time a query like your own crops up and they should then sort it out from there. I believe Outlawlgo has a good guide to this type of thing & would hope he notices this thread. I believe the terms involved are hard & soft allocations.

[alham]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

No, I've been using the same account number for the last 10 years. Anyway, just sent them a letter making an official request to start the investigation.

[ploddertom]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

You might be better off asking your local Councillor(s) to investigate this for you.

[alham]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

Yes, I've been thinking exactly the same. And mistakes include one amount leaving my account and totally different amount credited.

[outlawlgo]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

....I believe Outlawlgo has a good guide to this type of thing & would hope he notices this thread. I believe the terms involved are hard & soft allocations.

I found it I think, if this is what you meant:

An investigation into Milton Keyne's Council Tax, it may have some relevance.

QUOTE:

3.3.1 The collection and reporting of Council Tax income is straightforward when a tax payer pays their annual charge within that year. Complexities arise when a Council Tax Payer falls into arrears and owes the council money for past years as well as the current year. There is significant case law (for example, Peter v Anderson (1814)) however, put simply, if a person specifies which years debt the payment should be assigned it should be assigned to that years debt.

3.3.2 The council tax system has built in allocation rules to ensure that the law with respect to specified payments is met. For instance, if a customer has a payment plan for any year of debt and the payment they make matches the planned instalment then the money will be allocated to that year (this is known as “hard” allocation on the council tax system). If the system is unable to “hard allocate” then it will instead “soft” allocate and the debt will be used against the oldest debt unless manually adjusted.

[alham]

Re: Intersting case of my council tax

Thanks, but doesn't apply in my case. I have a print out of ALL payments recorded on their system, with bill Nos next to payments (some payments have been split between two different bills). My beef is that some payments although CLEARLY marked on the Bank statement as made to the DC are nowhere to be found on the print out (neither under the date nor amount), i.e. missing in action.