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 Council
Tax
Council
Tax was introduced on 1st April 1993, and is a charge on domestic
property, which together with Government grants, enable Councils
to provide benefits and services within their communities.
The
Valuation Office Agency (VOA) is responsible for assessing
all domestic properties in England and Wales and placing them
in the appropriate banding for Council Tax purposes. They
have just completed a revaluation of all domestic properties
in Wales, which takes effect from 1st April 2005. A revaluation
of the domestic properties in England is currently underway,
and this revaluation will take effect from 1st April 2007.
At
present, properties are place into one of eight bands reflecting
their open market value as at 1st April 1991.
In
England, these bands are as follows:-
|
Council
Tax Band
|
Range
of values
|
|
A
|
Up
to £40,000
|
|
B
|
Over
£40,000 and up to £52,000
|
|
C
|
Over
£52,000 and up to £68,000
|
|
D
|
Over
£68,000 and up to £88,000
|
|
E
|
Over
£88,000 and up to £120,000
|
|
F
|
Over
£120,000 and up to £160,000
|
|
G
|
Over
£160,000 and up to £320,000
|
|
H
|
Over
£320,000
|
In
Wales & Scotland, the "range of values" is lower
than for England, but the basis of assessment remains the
same.
Is
your property in the correct band?
Confusion
can arise here, as the open market value of your property
today will be considerably different to its value back in
1991.
By
way of example, a property with an open market value of say
£75,000 in 1991 should correctly be banded "D".
The open market value of the same property today might be
£200,000, but the banding should still be based on £75,000.
 Alternatively
a new property purchased today for £330,000 may, had
it been built, have had a market value of £130,000 on
1st April 1991 (The Council Tax valuation date). Its correct
band would therefore be "F".
If
you purchased your property today, for £200,000, which
Council Tax would you expect your property to be placed in?
This
is not a trick question, but one that shows the difficulties
that Council Tax payers are faced with when trying to identify
if their property has been placed in the correct band. There
are approximately 22 million domestic properties in England,
each of which have, or require a Council Tax band. Some of
these properties have not been banded correctly, is yours
one of them?
Has
the value of your home been effected by a change to the property
itself, or to its surroundings?
It
may be that the value of your property has been affected by
a change to the locality. Examples:-
The open fields that your property once overlooked may now
have been developed. The new by-pass runs right past the side
of your home.
If
you are concerned that the banding of your property may be
incorrect, or that you may be entitled to discounts that you
are not receiving, contact Adrian Smith Rating. No charge
will be made for initial consultation, and any subsequent
fees would be self financing as a percentage of savings achieved.
Email me at counciltax@adriansmithrating.co.uk
or see my contact page for more
details.
For
more information about Council Tax, you can visit these websites:
The
Valuation Office Agency
DirectGov
Adviceguide
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