Well this time of year the new Council tax bills have been popping though the letter boxes once again, so this year they were set to rise by 4.5%.
My tax rates for last year was £1043.29 for a band A, less 25% discount which saw it come down to £698.47 or around £70 a month.
This year its £1090.61 or £47 up on last years total, less 25% brings it down to £817.96 which is up £119 on the £698.47. I now have to find £82 a month.
Now in a few weeks our wages go up by 30 pence an hour, for me this means, as i work three jobs over seven days or around 35 hours or more a week on average i will be better off by £7.00.
Take the 4.5% council tax for the year this now drops to £4 then add all the other rises from Broadband, Petrol, Road Tax, Insurance, Water Rates,Food etc and at some put this year Electric and Gas will go up again, i am around £5 to £10 a week worse off!

So going to have to tighten my belt as they say, looks like i will have to cut out buying food then!

And they say your better off working, really!

You are better off working, many benefits have had no rises this year to offset their increase in costs. Some benefits have even been cut.

I'm happy to pay the extra few quid for the stuff we take for granted. If half the population (35million let's say) paid an extra £5 averagely that's £175 million quid that the govt can use for the NHS, museums, parks, beaches etc. And all it boils down to is a starbucks or a couple of pints of cheap lager less a month for everyone...

I think people are too quick to criticise if they don't see an immediate benefit for themselves.

I hope this makes it look a bit better ; You say "£1043.29 for a band A, less 25% discount which saw it come down to £698.47."This is incorrect as 25% of £1043.29 is £260 making it £783 payable.This year is £817 so the increase is £34 per year or 65p per week.So you will be pretty much the same on that side with your 70p per week increase in wage.I can't say much about the other bills. Sadly we are all suffering from bills increasing faster than income.

I was watching a tv program on Sunday, where this woman had two kids and another on the way, no father in site, her rent was £235 a week and she said she's entitled to benefit, [ we all are for a while!] but my moan is even with the three part time jobs i have, working though the week and most weekends, including bank hoildays, xmas day and new years day, getting up for 3.00am to go to work and coming in at 7.00pm i am so knacked, and all are low paid jobs,and i work bloody hard for what i earn, its not just sitting behind a computer screen all day, its a struggle just to live, in the last two years i have had nine days holiday, i don't drink as one, can't afford it and two as i have to be up early have no social life, then to be hit with adverts on the radio etc saying the living wage is going up, so we can all run around shouting Woopee! then to be hit with rising bills when i see people standing outside pubs all day long, gangs of lads roaming the streets up to no good, cause they can't be bothered looking for a job, then i think why I'm i doing this, whats the point!
I have still not heard of the billions the banks got for bailing them out a few years back ever being paid back, which would stop most of theses cuts happening in the first place.

Paying more for less is my problem with council tax.Services reduced, plus a 4.5% increase is a bigger rise than advertised.If it was a mars bar reduced in size along with a price rise, the great unwashed would see it right-away.

Write to the council and say that you are following their example and taking some austerity measures by cutting their council tax bill.

Keef666, You ask about the banks repaying the money they borrowed, good news is most has been repaid. God knows where the money has gone though.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/...ck-last-of-163bn-loan-from-taxpayer.html

But the loans are only part of what the Government has put into the financial services industry, there are considerable direct and indirect subsidies. Also the taxpayer subsidised those loans because the interest charged to the banks was less than the Government was paying on its borrowing.



Yes, but where does the money come from for the 15% increase in energy charges, telephone/internet services, food etc come from?

Despite the council's huge cuts, they are actually spending more.

Which is why I said "most had been repaid" and that "I can't say much about the other bills. Sadly we are all suffering from bills increasing faster than income."

2 yrs ago.

Breakdown of the reserve fund shows:
•£26.5m is held to support services activities and projects.
•£19.3m to support the council’s “remodelling” programme.
•£20.3m is for the mitigation of future risks, insurance and taxation.
•And £17.5m is “schools related.”

http://www.wirralglobe.co.uk/news/1...serve_fund_as_another_cash_crisis_looms/


What is the re-modelling Programme ? That seems to be a lot of money.

Hey! Lol

Have you thought about upskilling? Yes it's easier said than done but if it was easy everyone would do it!find something you enjoy and you are good at and then make some decent money! I don't know your circumstances but if I can anyone can!

It's all being spent on w*nky consultants and jollies to Cannes.

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