Does anybody here take the Greens seriously?

[Pblakeney]

Blimey. He has strong views on the NHS and asylum and he isn't a doctor or a foreigner either. You're right. No point in him even bothering.
I mean it's not as if the PM could appoint someone who knows all about money and accounts to run that bit of the government is it...

Oh wait...

Who's that person who lives next to the PM at No.11?

I'm not sure what Rachael Reeves has to do with this.
Oh! You mean if the Greens win an election. Not gonna happen.

 

[BoldonLad]

Perhaps his reforms will make it really easy to unferstand, such as by abolishing it and replacing it with an annual tax based on where you live and how big your house is?

should it not be based on how big your ability to pay is?

 

[BoldonLad]

Blimey. He has strong views on the NHS and asylum and he isn't a doctor or a foreigner either. You're right. No point in him even bothering.
I mean it's not as if the PM could appoint someone who knows all about money and accounts to run that bit of the government is it...

Oh wait...

Who's that person who lives next to the PM at No.11?

who indeed

 

[Ian H]

should it not be based on how big your ability to pay is?

So you buy an even bigger house and claim poverty.

 

[briantrumpet]

should it not be based on how big your ability to pay is?

No.

 

[BoldonLad]

So you buy an even bigger house and claim poverty.

Not if ability to pay includes assets (no, I don't know how to achieve that, but, presumably, some really clever people would)

 

[Psamathe]

Blimey. He has strong views on the NHS and asylum and he isn't a doctor or a foreigner either. You're right. No point in him even bothering.
I mean it's not as if the PM could appoint someone who knows all about money and accounts to run that bit of the government is it...

Oh wait...

Who's that person who lives next to the PM at No.11?

Personally I'd expect every MP to understand the difference between "debt" and "deficit". One involved in pushing a particular financial agenda to at least understand the basics.

 

[First Aspect]

should it not be based on how big your ability to pay is?

It's a debate to be had, but some people are arguing both for a wealth tax and against council tax, on the grounds that one is progressive and the other one isnt. This seems somewhat contradictory to me.

 

[First Aspect]

I'd also like to ask him whether he thinks living in a hotel room for a year should result in council tax, or whether it comes down to the agreement between the hotel and guest.

Not read his article but did listen to him this morning. I think he was badly explaining that Polanski is between a rock and a hard place. Either he registered to vote fraudently, or he's evaded tax.

It is perfectly possible for the marina to be legally allowed to have permanent residents but contractually prohibit it, in which case it would be possible to be both in breach of contract and a tax evader. It's probably also possible to be illegally living on a commercial property, be a trespasser and in breach of several laws and regulations but not be a council tax evader.

He didn't get into this on the radio but did think that because someone had once paid council tax for a boat there, this allowed him to be definitive.

The council tax/hotel analogy doesn't seem applicable unless the marina is part of a hotel.

 

[Stevo 666]

Bit late to the party aren't you?

And?

 

[Ian H]

And?

Suffering from conjunctivitis?

 

[PurplePenguin]

Not read his article but did listen to him this morning. I think he was badly explaining that Polanski is between a rock and a hard place. Either he registered to vote fraudently, or he's evaded tax.

It is perfectly possible for the marina to be legally allowed to have permanent residents but contractually prohibit it, in which case it would be possible to be both in breach of contract and a tax evader. It's probably also possible to be illegally living on a commercial property, be a trespasser and in breach of several laws and regulations but not be a council tax evader.

He didn't get into this on the radio but did think that because someone had once paid council tax for a boat there, this allowed him to be definitive.

The council tax/hotel analogy doesn't seem applicable unless the marina is part of a hotel.

Students, and others, are allowed to register to vote in both places. It's not really the same test.

The hotel analogy does work, because it is largely the same test. If the hotel/marina leases a specific room with no rights to change the room/mooring then council tax would be due. If they retain the right to move people around, then there is no council tax, but the marina/hotel pays business rates.

So it depends on what rights the marina has. Given they presumably don't have planning or rights to provide residential moorings, I'm sceptical that any of the boat owners would be able to pay the council tax even if they wanted to.

Therefore, it is perfectly possible he slept 3/4 nights a week in each place, was allowed to register to vote in either place, needed to do some laundry fairly regularly and broke no rules. Dan Neidle admits this in his comments section, but he's little more than an influencer who needs clicks, so doesn't point this out anywhere noticeable.

 

[icowden]

Personally I'd expect every MP to understand the difference between "debt" and "deficit". One involved in pushing a particular financial agenda to at least understand the basics.

i think your expectations are very high looking at some of our MPs...

 

[First Aspect]

Students, and others, are allowed to register to vote in both places. It's not really the same test.

The hotel analogy does work, because it is largely the same test. If the hotel/marina leases a specific room with no rights to change the room/mooring then council tax would be due. If they retain the right to move people around, then there is no council tax, but the marina/hotel pays business rates.

So it depends on what rights the marina has. Given they presumably don't have planning or rights to provide residential moorings, I'm sceptical that any of the boat owners would be able to pay the council tax even if they wanted to.

Therefore, it is perfectly possible he slept 3/4 nights a week in each place, was allowed to register to vote in either place, needed to do some laundry fairly regularly and broke no rules. Dan Neidle admits this in his comments section, but he's little more than an influencer who needs clicks, so doesn't point this out anywhere noticeable.

Hotels and b&bs seem to have their own regulations. E.g. there's a distinction for fewer than 6 rooms if the owners also live there, that sort of thing. People tend not to store boats in hotels.

Neither of us can be sure (perhaps neither can Dan Neidle) but apparently council tax was paid from a boat in that marina, but there was a culture of not doing so. He took from this that the marina was allowed to have residential berths.

Whether the people not paying council tax from boats there was illegal or those people just left for enough of the time to not need to pay it, who knows. We also don't know if Polanski did the same perfectly legally. All his people have said is he has taken steps to pay anything that is due. I read this as he's told the council what his living arrangements were and they will tell him what he owes, which might be nothing.

This is slightly separate from being a lodger at a local bungalow for receiving mail, but also registering to vote using that address. It would be like me paying a friend to allow me to register to vote in Scotland. That's unequivocally against the law.

I suppose it's a technicality if it's the same postcode and he's entitled to vote in that postcode, but I still think it's probably strictly speaking illegal.

All in all it seems to be a snafu rather worse than the one that effectively ended Angela Rayner's time in government.

 

[Stevo 666]

Suffering from conjunctivitis?

So what's your view on Polanski dodging his taxes?