Council tax refers to the amount of taxes to be paid by you to the government of your state in lieu of availing various services provided by them. Everyone living inside the boundaries of a specific state or city needs to pay these taxes to the concerned authorities. It is because taxes collected from the public are used for welfare of public only. So it is important to pay these taxes so that you may also contribute towards development of your state or city. But due to some reasons some people are not able to pay their taxes in time.
Sometimes, the taxes become due for a longer time which may invite an extreme situation like visit of bailiffs at your place. If you are also worried about your due taxes, you need to consider some options so as to reduce the burden of tax.
Contact your council- In case, you find problem in paying heavy amount of your tax in one instalment or in large amounts in one or two instalments, you may contact your local council. Clarify your situation to them and request for granting some more time to you for payment of tax. You may request them to extend the numbers of instalments and reduce the amount to be paid in each instalment according to your salary and the savings. It will help you in paying off your entire council tax debt in an easy manner. Use this option only if you have sufficient resource to pay off the tax in easy instalments.
Check if you are eligible for single person’s discount- You may even get an exemption from heavy council tax debt provided there is only one adult person in your family who is earning. In such cases, the concerned authorities give some discount on the tax debt or completely exempt such people from tax payment in some cases. For this, you need to fill a claim form obtainable from the local council office. Even people who are severally mentally disabled are eligible to get an exemption from the council tax debt.
Check for eligibility for council tax benefit- You may also get an exemption from tax or a massive reduction in its amount in case you are eligible for council tax benefit. It is applicable in such cases when a person is out of work from a long time. Similarly, you may claim for other benefits too such as prolonged illness, some tragedy in your life etc. All these situations lead to an exemption or reduction in the council tax debt and hence provide some relief to the tax payers.
Compensate the council tax with some costly items- When all other possibilities become completely inapplicable, you may consider compensating for the council tax debt with some costly items at your home. These items may be put to auction and the money thus collected may be deposited with the concerned authorities in the form of council tax debt. However, it should always be the last option.
This way you may get rid of worry about your council tax debt and lead a stress-free life.