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‘Poll tax mark II’ pushes Britain’s poorest into debt
Cuts in council tax benefit to thousands force householders to pawn goods and fend off bailiffs
Up to 70,000 low earners, single parents, and disabled people are being pursued by bailiffs over their failure to pay the “new poll tax”, according to figures revealed for the first time.
The country’s poorest people, who qualify for means-tested council tax benefit, have seen their annual bills rise after the Government imposed a 10 per cent reduction in funding for the handout last April.
New figures revealed by Freedom of Information requests show that 400,000 people have had liability orders imposed by the courts, while 70,000 of these have had letters from bailiffs. In Conservative-controlled Basildon council alone, 123 disabled people have received bailiff notices, some complaining of threatening letters that warn that firms will seize goods if they fail to pay. As a result, local disability groups report that those affected are handing televisions and jewellery to pawnbrokers, to pay bills.
It was already known that 2.3 million people have received higher bills, with 600,000 of those in arrears. Some 500,000 have been issued with court summons for non-payment of council tax.
Source: http://philosophers-stone.co.uk/wordpress/2014/02/poll-tax-mark-ii-pushes-britains-poorest-into-debt/
