I just saw in the news that Council Tax was supposed to go up this year, after a 16 year hiatus. But it may get put back to 2010 now, it's most likely though that it's going to hit one or two people quite badly.

Expect a visit from the council at some point in the next three years I guess. What will they use to determine the value of your house?

Is it also quite possible that the government has deliberately put the date back, just in case the Tories get in?

According to the paper - if that is anything to go by - things such as peace and quiet, a handy bus stop, new kitchen / bathroom, conservatory, central heating, gardens, shops handy, pleasant view, any other nice additions to your home etc

Hmmmm... bet there would be no discount for things like no garden, no nice view etc

do i get a discount for the stream in my garden being used as flood relief on the a46 bypass?

They would probably charge you for the view gained by having a stream in your garden.

I wonder what percentage of our income we pay out in taxes of various forms obvious and not so obvious or even double taxed. It might be a frightening calculation.

You should think yourself lucky, I've lived in a one bed flat for ten years, when we signed for it we were told that window cleaning, comunal cleaning, grass cutting etc were included, which they were. NOW sudenly they aren't included, we were never paying for them, everyone else was and they're all getting added on to the rent. Three pound a week for one substandard clean. They don't even lift the mats, they mop round them. Thats 18 flats 3 pound each, thats 54 pound for a cleaner who's here an hour at most. Whish I was on 54 pound an hour I may be able to pay nwbc extortionate rent for a one bedroom flat which is now as much as a three bedroom house with garden. Which I can't of course get because I'm not a one parent family with three kids sponging of the state. Window cleaning is extra 3 pound per bi monthly 'clean' they don't even have ladders. Thats a hike of 13.50 a month so far and thats without the grass cutting, then there's all this to add on.

Some years ago when we paid rates instead of poll or council tax ,we had an ancient single garage taken down and had a double one in it's place.
Of course we were rated on the larger one as 'double garage' and also the single one.
I argued with the council that as we were already paying for one single garage the cost should only be for one other single as the old one had gone.
They said I was illogical. They could'nt puzzle out what I was on about---it probably wasn't in their handbook. After many weeks of wrangling-they were getting sick of me and were cautious when answering the phone to me saying they were out -of the office-in a meeting -etc. I decided upon another tack and wrote to them to say that we had demolished a single garage so would they please take it off the rates .
It worked and by the next week it was done.
Definitely a case of one hand not knowing-- etc. and not thinking for themselves.
Having said all this I have found the NBBC very different these last few years
and approachable