Injustice (From Penarth Times)

Injustice

BEING one more of the not very happy owner-occupiers whose band went from D to F, I feel compelled to protest at the injustice of it all.

I am sure that most of us realise that we were gulled out of complaining at the time by the one-off payment last year.

However, with the receipt of the 2006 Council Tax bill and the knowledge that, from April 2004 to April 2006, there has been an increase of £494 - a 59 per cent rise in just two years.

Quite simply, I"m dumbfounded.

No-one in their right mind can argue that the cost of services has risen by 50 per cent, nor that the increase in property values is sufficient to justify it.

The owner gets no benefit from a higher property price until such time as it is sold, at which time Westminster collects a greater stamp duty handout.

It would seem, in fact, that the only beneficiaries are, once again, our lords and masters in Westminster.

Can it be that the whole idea is to reduce the Government"s allocation to local authorities, in order to increase funding for MPs" salaries, expenses and pensions - not to mention the vast numbers that are cunning enough to screw a system set up to assist those who are in need.

Iraq? Need I say more?

I realise that, at the present moment, we are comparatively helpless, but I felt forced to put pen to paper - and try to consider myself able to do something about it at the time of the next election.

As with everything else, it is likely that the majority of those hit the hardest will be people who thought themselves to be sensible enough to save for retirement, then finding that they narrowly miss qualifying for any benefits at all.

This banding nonsense is totally unnecessary and is just another stealth tax, a method of screwing the people for the people, by the people.

Just by the way - has England learned from WAG"s mistakes?

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