Plymouth City Council crackdown on council tax cheats

A full review to ensure people claiming a 25 per cent council tax discount because they live alone is to be carried out by Plymouth City Council.

Approximately 40,000 Council Tax payers in Plymouth who receive this single occupancy reduction to their bill will be contacted over the next few months to make sure that the reductions are correct.

The checks form part of the Council’s measures to prevent and detect Council Tax fraud and protect the public purse.

Capita Local Government Services has been appointed to carry out a comprehensive review.

Residents in receipt of this reduction will be sent a form in the post and will be required to complete and return within 14 days. Failure to return the form may result in this reduction being removed. The agency will also work with Equifax, the credit reference agency using up-to-the-minute, data-matching technology to identify where people are claiming discounts that they are not entitled to.

Councillor Mark Lowry, Cabinet Member for Finance said: “These checks are regularly undertaken to ensure that fraud is kept to a minimum. The single occupancy discount is always a bit tricky as people’s circumstances can change quite quickly and it’s not necessarily at the top of people’s minds.

“This could affect people that are renting a room in their house, have moved in with their partner or a child has turned 18 years old.

“The checks are expected to start on Wednesday 4 December so this gives a bit of time for people to pro-actively update their details – hopefully this will act as a reminder for some.”

Single person discount is an entitlement that the council is keen to ensure is claimed by taxpayers who are genuinely entitled, especially in these trying economic times. However, taxpayers who claim the discount improperly place an unnecessary burden on other residents.

Any taxpayers currently receiving a discount which they feel may not be correct are urged to telephone Plymouth City Council on 01752 668000 before the full review begins in December.