Council tax cheats

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Dear Glasgow City Council,
On around the May the 4th 2009 Glasgow City Council announced "Its war on the Council tax cheats claiming single person discounts" Could you therefore provide me with the following information in regards to the aforementioned campaign;

1/ How many investigations were carried out?
2/ How many successful prosecutions obtained?
3/ Breakdown by Post Code and if possible whether private or Social Housing tenure.

Yours faithfully,

Frederick Shaw

Customer Care Centre, Glasgow City Council

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Marsh, Peter, Glasgow City Council

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Dear Sir

Please find attached a response to your recent request for information
made under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. I shall be
grateful if you will acknowledge receipt of this email.

Regards

Peter Marsh
Head of Audit & Inspection, Glasgow City Council
? City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, G2 1DU
E 0141 287 4053
7 0141 287 7007 (fax)
? [1][email address]
Whistleblowing Hotline 0141 287 3777

Glasgow - Proud Host City of the 2014 Commonwealth Games

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K Hodgkinson left an annotation ()

It is alarming that this council states that where it believed that more than one adult was resident the 'single person discount' was cancelled as there is no discount whatsoever in law which should be 'cancelled' merely because more than one resident lives in the dwelling.

The term 'single person discount' has no legal status. It is perfectly legal and proper to receive a discount of 25% when more than one person lives at your address.

On this basis, we have to challenge the figures for additional income achieved by the council.

K Hodgkinson left an annotation ()

Moreover, there is reason to doubt whether in 'cancelling' a discount which does not exist, the council was abiding by the regulations which govern adjusted demand notices (the law has no such thing as a 'cancelled discount')

In English law, the council can only issue a backdated adjusted demand notice where it is the case that there is no longer entitlement to a discount of the appropriate amount at the rate set by law.

The mere fact that a second person lives at an address does not mean that there is no longer any entitlement.

Whoever drafted the response of the council appears not to grasp this, or accepts that the council issues 'cancelled' bills in situations where, subject to an appeal, it will simply have to put them back.