I do believe it was Voltaire who came to Britain some time in the 18th Century and described the state of affairs here as ‘aristocracy tempered by rioting’.
Fast forward to the 21st Century. New aristocracy, new rioting:
Hundreds of homeowners rebelling against record council tax increases are facing prison after being summonsed to court for non-payment of their bills as part of a protest which has been dubbed the “Can Pay, Won’t Pay” campaign.
The rebels are angry over the increase in council tax rates that have soared by as much as 40 per cent in the past two years. They have vowed to go to jail rather than pay up.
For non-UK readers, the tax they are referring to is a local property tax which has, indeed, soared to iniquitous levels in the last two years putting an intolerable burden on homeowners with low or fixed incomes.
The current system was brought in to replace the infamous ‘poll tax’ which was excoriated and villified by the left as ‘wicked’ and ‘unfair’. It inspired a campaign of civil disobedience and widespread rioting which, probably more than anything else, did for Margaret Thatcher.
So does anybody think that the ‘caring’ left will get behind this new revolt? I think we all know the answer to that.
“I am not paying. I will not let the bailiffs in and I am prepared to go to jail. I have no family, so if I do end up in prison I’m not going to upset anyone. At my age I don’t feel that it matters if I have a criminal record.”
A brave and nobel expression of sentiment but one which highlights the weakness of such tactics. People with a career to pursue, a business to run or a family to raise cannot afford the risk of incarceration so this is a situation where just a little enforcement will go a long way to quelling the revolt and securing a high degree of compliance.
Also I cannot help but feel that the campaign slogan of ‘Can Pay, Won’t Pay’ (a twist on the anti-poll tax slogan of ‘Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay’) will prove a godsend to the establishment lefties who will be able to demonise the rebels as ‘selfish’ and ‘greedy’.
The rebels do have a website called Is It Fair? but even that, as far as I can tell, misses it’s real target. Calls for a ‘better distribution of central government grants’ are not going to help them or anybody else in the long run.
Monstrous over-taxation is not fair or wise or just or good and while I wholly sympathise with the people who are being rapidly impoverished by them, I fear that their rebellion will do little to improve matters.
Brings California and Proposition 13 to mind.
I wish my council tax was as low as the protestors in the article was:
Miss Hoffenberg Band H £1,469.93
My town: over £2332
Mr Drover Band E £1377.09
My town: over £1522
Sylvia Hardy Band B £644.74
My town: over £1059
Water is still nationalised up here and the rates are up to 3 times as high for domestic customers compared to England, and the buisness rates are outragous. My company pays £40,000 a year for about 7 sinks, 6 toilets and a houshold dishwasher, my former boyfriends company which does actually use a lot of water payed over £350,000 a year which was an increase of 1000% since about 5 years ago, and he has cut his usage by 40% (the increase is mostly due to European regulations and nationalised water company mismanagement).
I’m not sure it’s futile. We should support them.
And just think of telling them how much easier to would be to discipline them with identity cards. A small bureaucratic difficulty with your card (sorry sir, just a temporary withdrawal) and suddenly your life becomes more difficult in all sorts of small, undramatic ways. They won’t need prison soon to mould law-abiding people into obedience.
mark,
I do both support and sympathise with them but unfortunately I think their ‘revolt’ is doomed to failure.
Grumbling about taxes is something of a national sport in this country but nobody will countenance any reduction to the size of the government either nationally or locally nor will they entertain any proposals for curbing state activism. In fact, they tend to agitate for more.
Until this link is broken, I’m afraid all tax revolts are doomed to failure.
Nobody is sorrier than me, mark.
Even in the US, nobody tries to sell tax cuts as a way to shrink the government. Rather, tax cuts are defended in part by arguing that the cuts will increase economic growth, resulting in ever larger tax collections over time for whatever social program you favor.
There is no serious political movement in the US anymore for shrinking government. The Dems have never even paid this idea lip service, and with “compassionate conservatism” their new motto the Repubs aren’t even faking it anymore.
Didn’t Voltaire travel to London for the purpose of having his works published ??
I understand at that time period publishing “unapproved by the State” material could well attrach the tax “of your life”.
Lambeth Council tax booklet I recently received: marks out of four for services:
Education 3/4
Social care – Children 2/4
Social care – Adults 2/4
Environment 1/4
Housing 2/4
Libraries and leisure 1/4
Benefits 1/4
Use of resources 2/4
Net spending by component
spending £’000
150,798
156,194
services
103,537
105,060
5,780
5,925
development
2,397
2,459
16,786
16,929
2,690
2,844
disposal
18,781
19,251
24,745
28,144
25,193
22,681
18,028
18,568
1,000
1,500
1,300
1,300
management
4,500
4,500
unexpected
–
–
7,557
3,871
16,539
21,657
Development
disposal
me
Now, I take that to be a pretty generous comment on what I use. I don’t really make a pro-rata contribution to rubbish, etc (shops will do that), I don’t use Recreation and tourism, etc. But I could.
Whereas there’s essentially no chance I’ll ever use Lambeth’s housing or benefits budgets (if I need them, I’d be elsewhere in the country at the time). And I certainly won’t need education stuff for 7 years from now.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean I shouldn’t be contributing, but the apparent fact that only 19% of the budget is in stuff I potentially use is shocking (note I’ve allowed the whole GLC contribution). And given how poor the services are, it’s even worse.
Loathe as I am to argue for central provision of services, the level of contribution I should be making to other people’s kids education, etc, shouldn’t really be dependent on where I live. So the amount I pay in council tax is a joke….
Oops – the table seems to work in the comments, but not in the “full page” version.
Won’t the poor fellows who threaten to go to jail have their houses sold at a sheriff’s auction to pay the back due taxes while in jail? That’s what they’d do in the U. S. I assure you.
Data point: The Hon. Dawn Primarolo MP, Paymaster General and hence Head Boss Cat of the Inland Revenue, was a prominent poll-tax protester. I believe (not quite sure) she has a conviction for refusing to pay.