Nearly 19,000 summons issued for unpaid council tax...

[dutchman]

Thousands of people in Coventry were summonsed to court last year for not paying council tax or business rates.

A total of 18,900 summonses were issued in the 2014/15 financial year, with the biggest culprits facing time behind bars, suspended sentences or big fines.

Council tax is collected from households by Coventry City Council to pay for services, while non-domestic rates - also known as business rates - are payable by shops, factories and offices.

There are around 140,000 houses in Coventry and 8,000 businesses.

If payments are not kept up, the council has the power to prosecute and take offenders to court, usually after three warning letters.

At Coventry Magistrates Court on June 4, a 54-year-old man from Spon End was jailed for 90 days after racking up more than £7,500 in unpaid non-domestic rates and associated costs.

The following day a 54-year-old woman from Earlsdon was jailed for 33 days for unpaid council tax and costs totalling £1,128.

Other cases include a 45-year-old from Chapelfields who was jailed for 44 days in May for non-payment of council tax and costs of £3,950, and a 43-year-old from Foleshill who was jailed for 70 days in April for council tax and costs arrears of £3,624.

A city council spokesman said: “The number of summonses refers to people who miss two or more payments – many of them will pay after receiving the summons and many will pay after we obtain a liability order.

“The 18,900 will comprise several accounts for the same customer and will include debts for previous years.”

People owing large sums of council tax and business rates is nothing new for council officers to deal with.

Figures released for 2013 showed the city council was owed more than £13million in unpaid council tax.

At the time that was the equivalent of £100 for every household in the city.

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles also claimed that residents who pay what they owe were being forced to pay more to compensate for those who refuse.

Other cases heard by Coventry magistrates recently included a 47-year-old woman from Radford who faced a complaint for non-payment of council tax and costs worth £5,073.

She was told to pay up or have another 90 days added to a suspended sentence.

And a 38-year-old woman from Canley had to pay £986 in unpaid council tax and costs or serve 28 days further suspended.

[rebbonk]

At that level (even allowing for duplications) there is clearly something wrong with the system of local taxation. Perhaps Gannon can work it out?

[dutchman]

Coventry is one of the better places to live from the viewpoint of paying council tax.

Some parts of Warwickshire force even those on the breadline to pay a substantial percentage of the amount due.

That hasn't happened here, yet, but it may do in the future.