Hi Perps,

Interesting communication from BCC's finest, most efficient dept. (local
tax collection, what else?);- I've recently applied for single person
discount, being all alone at present and Local Tax screwed up the
application, by assuming for some reason that I'm a new occupant, rather
than resident since 1971. So far so normal, I believe I can deal with
this problem....

However, as a new occupant I got a council tax bill for the remainder of
this tax year, coupla hundred quid etc. But, But, the council tax,
full, unabridged, un discounted, on this property was paid a few months
ago. So Bristol City Council is apparantly double billing properties.
And this is a property tax, not a person tax, so that seems to me to be
flat-out fraudulent behaviour. Stealing money off people who've just
moved into a property.

I've no doubt that the nice man not quite dealing with my application
will be able to come up with an explanation, backed by some arcane local
government law and if he can't the Audit Commission doubtless will, but
I thought I'd share this with you all. Perhaps some locally based
paragon of local government competence and probity (Robin Moss? John
Kiely?) can throw light on this interesting activity....

And a happy new year.

Royce