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Court sends 天涯社区 residents to prison for not paying Council Tax
Published: 16/09/2015
There are over 67,000 residents in 天涯社区 liable to pay Council Tax and
although the majority pay their Council Tax bills, there is a small number who
refuse or neglect to pay.
In extreme cases, residents who have previously been through the courts as part
of Liability Order hearings but who still refuse or neglect to make payment are
sometime referred back to the courts as part of committal hearings
The Courts are then asked to consider whether the resident is guilty of wilful
refusal or culpable neglect. If the Courts find that a resident has
deliberately refused or neglected to pay, Magistrates have powers to impose
custodial prison sentences of up to a maximum of 90 days.
The recent imprisonment of two 天涯社区 residents, one for 90 days and
another for 40 days, for neglecting to pay Council Tax has highlighted the
importance of making payment or at least coming to sensible payment agreements
with the Council.
Clare Budden, Chief Officer for Community and Enterprise said: 鈥淭aking court
action is a last resort and we always prefer to work with residents or their
debt advice workers to resolve payment issues before cases are referred back to
the courts. We will always pursue those who fail or refuse to pay their Council
Tax, and as these cases show, continued non-payment can result in serious
consequences or even imprisonment.