On 8/25/2026 at 10:42 AM, Stocky said:

That's just a file photo, there's nothing in the article about police, bailiffs or forced entry. This is GB News for pity's sake they do tend to over egg things a tad.

Yes...from the title of the thread I have visions of smartly dressed bureaucrats rappelling from a swarm of Chinooks......555

1 hour ago, Stocky said:

One old lady gets a 25% discount as a single occupier, and if on pension credit she may well qualify for council tax benefit, so she'd pay nothing.

The problem is there is no perfect system, but the council tax, or rates as was, is certainly less controversial than the community charge (Poll Tax).

We are talking about the 80s when the poll tax came out not now. Back then the lefties didn't want to pay tax, that's for others

52 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Yes, I know the first time was in the 14th century.

The reaction was much the same.

Sorry, I think we are missing the point?

49 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Why’s it always an old lady?

Never some multimillionaire living in a mansion?

The poll tax was designed to cut taxes to the wealthy at cost to the poor - Classic Tory hand out to the rich.

i said old lady to keep it simple for you, could be anyone, young first time buyer having to pay the council tax, another similar property full of lefties sharing the same council tax

59 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Why’s it always an old lady?

Never some multimillionaire living in a mansion?

The poll tax was designed to cut taxes to the wealthy at cost to the poor - Classic Tory hand out to the rich.

Actually the poll tax was brought in so everyone would pay the same amount, I thought you lefties would be happy that everyone would be treated equally, or is that just some of the time?

11 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

We are talking about the 80s when the poll tax came out not now. Back then the lefties didn't want to pay tax, that's for others

It was abhorred by the majority, not just 'lefties', it lead to a Tory leadership challenge and Major replacing Thatcher. One of the first pieces of legislation announced by John Major did the replacement of the Poll Tax with the Council Tax.

On 8/24/2026 at 7:17 PM, MIke B Bad said:

I think we paid something like £3.60 the first year we moved in, five years ago........but haven't paid anything since????

Bin collection is brilliant ........0930 every Monday on the dot.......anything they can lift goes in the truck.......having said that, all they do is tip it about 3 miles away and burn it.

Which town would that be?

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

i said old lady to keep it simple for you, could be anyone, young first time buyer having to pay the council tax, another similar property full of lefties sharing the same council tax

Could be a lefty first time buyer, young or old.

The poll tax remains a regressive tax.

54 minutes ago, sungod said:

Actually the poll tax was brought in so everyone would pay the same amount, I thought you lefties would be happy that everyone would be treated equally, or is that just some of the time?

It was brought in so that people living in high priced homes would get a tax cut at cost to people living in low cost homes.

The peaceful mass demonstrations in Scotland and riots in London were the result.

4 hours ago, VocalNeal said:

Until you need to call the Fire Dept.?

I pay for insurance.

Maybe insurance companies should pay the fire dept.

Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Don't be a dick - It's theft.

3 hours ago, sungod said:

Actually the poll tax was brought in so everyone would pay the same amount, I thought you lefties would be happy that everyone would be treated equally, or is that just some of the time?

Leftie = Public sector shirkers, the UNemployed, and kids too young to know better.

Envious people who've never had much, if any, contact with the real world

(they have no idea of what it takes to earn money so disrespect those who have).

3 hours ago, sungod said:

Actually the poll tax was brought in so everyone would pay the same amount, I thought you lefties would be happy that everyone would be treated equally, or is that just some of the time?

I doubt that the poll tax would have been something that Marx would have supported: ' "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs".

23 minutes ago, Tourist2 said:

I pay for insurance.

How many fire trucks does your insurance company have and where are they based?

Don't be a dick - It's theft.

Like my expats who have registered as expats we don't pay tax in out home countries and not much here so in reality tax is a non issue.

There is however one notable exception...

Edited August 26Aug 26 by VocalNeal

17 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

How many fire trucks does your insurance company have and where are they based?

Like my expats who have registered as expats we don't pay tax in out home countries and not much here so in reality tax is a non issue.

There is however one notable exception...

Please try again - this time in English.

I pay for insurance.
Maybe insurance companies should pay the fire dept.
If not,
Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Don't be a dick - tax is theft.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Tourist2

2 minutes ago, Tourist2 said:

Please try again - this time in English.

I pay for insurance.
Maybe insurance companies should pay the fire dept.
If not,
Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Don't be a dick - tax is theft.

Please try again with logic.

So you are standing next to your smoldering ruin of a house. The first question the insurance adjuster will ask is did you call the fire dept.

If not well....you could have done it yourself just to make a claim. They will need an independent organization with fire investigators to determine that. Hmm. I worder who that might be.(Rhetorical)

You can be angry about taxes. I'm not.

3 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Please try again with logic.

So you are standing next to your smoldering ruin of a house. The first question the insurance adjuster will ask is did you call the fire dept.

If not well....you could have done it yourself just to make a claim. They will need an independent organization with fire investigators to determine that. Hmm. I worder who that might be.(Rhetorical)

You can be angry about taxes. I'm not.

I'm not standing next to a smouldering ruin though.

Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Please - Don't be a dick - tax is theft.

2 minutes ago, Tourist2 said:

Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Exactly why should you. I don't. Why are you paying taxes?

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It was brought in so that people living in high priced homes would get a tax cut at cost to people living in low cost homes.

The peaceful mass demonstrations in Scotland and riots in London were the result.

What’s your slogan?

‘Equality when it suits! “

1 hour ago, sungod said:

What’s your slogan?

‘Equality when it suits! “

I don’t have a slogan.

I have points of view, which you seem unable to deal with.

5 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

It was brought in so that people living in high priced homes would get a tax cut at cost to people living in low cost homes.

I can understand why they'd charge people on the better or bigger plots of land. But how does it make sense that they tax people more for the bigger homes that they already built and paid for with their own money.

Make it make sense... Without invoking communism.

Edit: Wouldn't it encourage development and put more construction people to work if they charged a higher tax on idle land than they do on developed land? And gave tax relief to the people in mansions who hired a buttload of tradesmen and craftsman and stimulated the economy by buying more materials?

Edited August 26Aug 26 by impulse

21 minutes ago, impulse said:

I can understand why they'd charge people on the better or bigger plots of land. But how does it make sense that they tax people more for the bigger homes that they already built and paid for with their own money.

Make it make sense... Without invoking communism.

Edit: Wouldn't it encourage development and put more construction people to work if they charged a higher tax on idle land than they do on developed land? And gave tax relief to the people in mansions who hired a buttload of tradesmen and craftsman and stimulated the economy by buying more materials?

Every single US State has property taxes on homes, the property taxes pay for local services, are they comunist?

One of the best arguments in favor of property taxes is the impossibility of hiding the taxed asset.

The US charges taxes on vacant land, in some jurisdictions at higher rates than land that is build on. The UK does not tax vacant land, as you point out there are sound reasons to do so.

Local authorities do levy higher property taxes on vacant homes.

UK local authorities also have the power yo levy higher property taxes on second homes.

There is a loophole in the property tax laws that exempts dwellings from stamp duty if seven or more dwellings are purchased in one transaction, rigged for rich buyers might be a reasonable characterization.

Tory MP and at the time Government Minister, Jeremy Hunt availed himself of this loophole in a tax law his party enacted.

Edited August 26Aug 26 by Chomper Higgot

1 hour ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I don’t have a slogan.

I have points of view, which you seem unable to deal with.

Nice deflection there, well done.

On 8/23/2026 at 11:51 PM, JonnyF said:

Communists aren't really concerned about civil liberties.

The Trump administration hasn't shown much support of civil liberties. We know of Trump's admiration of Putin and Kim. Does this make him a commie?

14 hours ago, BritManToo said:

That's because the rubbish is worth money.

The collectors want the rubbish, so they can sort and sell it.

Thai railways barely work, bus is faster.

Mea Culpa - I meant the metro/BKK etc systems in BKK

6 hours ago, Tourist2 said:

I pay for insurance.

Maybe insurance companies should pay the fire dept.

Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Don't be a dick - It's theft.

Absolutely, and why should you pay for someone else’s cancer treatment? Universal healthcare is theft and 32 out of the top 33 countries have got it wrong! I’m sure you’re rich enough to avoid medical bankruptcy. Numbnuts!

10 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Every single US State has property taxes on homes, the property taxes pay for local services, are they comunist?

Everyone living in the area uses the same local services.

Why should the people in big houses pay for everyone's local services?

(Would point out the guys in the big houses probably have private schools and private health, so don't even use the services they are forced to pay for)

Off topic (communist joke),

C1: If you had two houses would you give me one?

C2: Of course my brother, it would only be fair

C1:If you had two cars, would you let me drive one?

C2: Of course, no need to even ask, we are both communists

C1: If you had two chickens, could I have One?

C2: NO

C1: what do you mean no?

C2: I have two chickens!

Edited August 26Aug 26 by BritManToo

14 hours ago, Tourist2 said:

Please try again - this time in English.

I pay for insurance.
Maybe insurance companies should pay the fire dept.
If not,
Why should I pay to put out everyone else's fires?

Don't be a dick - tax is theft.

I don't pay for insurance, my house is built with concrete and steel.

No wood, nothing to burn apart from the sofa and mattress.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

I don't pay for insurance, my house is built with concrete and steel.

No wood, nothing to burn apart from the sofa and mattress.

No vehicle insurance? No health insurance?

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

The Trump administration hasn't shown much support of civil liberties.

He has for Americans.

Illegals? Not so much.

The UK is the opposite. Illegals can do what they want whereas natives get locked up for tweeting about it.

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

We know of Trump's admiration of Putin and Kim.

Do we?

11 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

Does this make him a commie?

No. AOC is a commie though.

On 8/26/2026 at 12:07 PM, Leopold Bloom said:

Which town would that be?

Middle of nowhere.......North Chaiyaphum province.