The Jailing of OAPs

[stewart38]

Should OAPs or anyone go to jail because they don’t pay their full council tax ??

Background as follows
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A retired vicar from Towcester, Northants was sentenced to 28 days in prison for non-payment of Council Tax, despite his being unwell.

Reverend Alfred Ridley had appeared before magistrates before and was ordered to pay the full 8.5 per cent increase in Council Tax, which was billed by his local authority in April this year. Mr. Ridley refused to pay the full amount, agreeing only to pay an increase linked to inflation.

Slylvia Hardy, a retired social worker from Exeter has been jailed for seven days for refusing to pay increases in her Council Tax.

Mrs Hardy, 73, refused to settle outstanding arrears in protest at recent above-inflation council tax rises.

Help the Aged has warned again and again that Council Tax in its present form is deeply unfair and regressive. It punishes older people who have worked their whole lives and who have been able to save or buy their own home. Local taxation should be based on ability to pay, not the value of the home in which people live.

"Older people are also asking why they continue to receive such astronomically high bills when essential local services increasingly fall victim to budget cuts. Not only is Council Tax unfair, it is completely failing to provide the services older people need and deserve."
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I really sit on the fence on this one

Part of me think if their in jail their less likely to create miles of traffic by driving 30mph miles an hour in a 70mph zone
or set themselves and the house on fire by having an accident in the home

The other part thinks

You shouldn’t be jailing OAP when real muggers get of scot-free but then if the don’t get jailed where does it stop, protest should be through the electoral system! Fair play to the magistrates who particulary on the 2nd case would be aware of the flack they would get


I’m really on the fence with this one

Should society make a big thing about the fact they are OAPs, lets face it if there were mid 20s you wouldn’t here about it. Or do we create stereotypes and see them as poor little individuals. I for one will me making a nice cup tea and cucumber sandwhiches for each on their release: yeah:

How can we get tough on crime unless we start some where :yeah:

[TiggsTours]

Should OAPs or anyone go to jail because they don’t pay their full council tax ??

Background as follows
----------------------------------------------------

A retired vicar from Towcester, Northants was sentenced to 28 days in prison for non-payment of Council Tax, despite his being unwell.

Reverend Alfred Ridley had appeared before magistrates before and was ordered to pay the full 8.5 per cent increase in Council Tax, which was billed by his local authority in April this year. Mr. Ridley refused to pay the full amount, agreeing only to pay an increase linked to inflation.

Slylvia Hardy, a retired social worker from Exeter has been jailed for seven days for refusing to pay increases in her Council Tax.

Mrs Hardy, 73, refused to settle outstanding arrears in protest at recent above-inflation council tax rises.

Help the Aged has warned again and again that Council Tax in its present form is deeply unfair and regressive. It punishes older people who have worked their whole lives and who have been able to save or buy their own home. Local taxation should be based on ability to pay, not the value of the home in which people live.

"Older people are also asking why they continue to receive such astronomically high bills when essential local services increasingly fall victim to budget cuts. Not only is Council Tax unfair, it is completely failing to provide the services older people need and deserve."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


I really sit on the fence on this one

Part of me think if their in jail their less likely to create miles of traffic by driving 30mph miles an hour in a 70mph zone
or set themselves and the house on fire by having an accident in the home

The other part thinks

You shouldn’t be jailing OAP when real muggers get of scot-free but then if the don’t get jailed where does it stop, protest should be through the electoral system! Fair play to the magistrates who particulary on the 2nd case would be aware of the flack they would get


I’m really on the fence with this one

Should society make a big thing about the fact they are OAPs, lets face it if there were mid 20s you wouldn’t here about it. Or do we create stereotypes and see them as poor little individuals. I for one will me making a nice cup tea and cucumber sandwhiches for each on their release: yeah:

How can we get tough on crime unless we start some where :yeah:
Yeah! Chuck 'em away and throw away the key, that's what I say, thieving little tykes, trying to live off our well earnt taxes! :grin:

[El Salsero Gringo]

You shouldn’t be jailing OAP when real muggers get of scot-free...Glad to see the spirit of Daily Mail is alive and well and dwelleth in the Forum.

[LMC]

enormously long postYeah! Chuck 'em away and throw away the key, that's what I say, thieving little tykes, trying to live off our well earnt taxes! :grin:
Do entire posts have to be quoted when they are that long and are only the previous post? :rolleyes:

[DianaS]

My Mums been mascarading as an OAP for years, getting cheap cinema tickets and stuff! Discusting. :mad:
She took early retirement, but that doesn't justify it. :whistle:

[David Franklin]

[QUOTE=LMC]Do entire posts have to be quoted when they are that long and are only the previous post? :rolleyes:/QUOTE]

Could be worse, they could have made a complete pig's ear of the quoting as well... :wink:

[LMC]

Ironic innit DF? :wink: :blush:

Non-payment of council tax is not a violent crime, so given the overcrowding in the prison system and the cost of keeping someone in prison (in the tens of thousands per annum) it would make far more sense to me to "punish" non-payers of council tax, whatever their age, with a community service order.

[ducasi]

I think it's a good thing. It has brought iniquity of the council tax, especially for pensioners, back into the public eye. Just in time for the Labour Party conference. Perfect timing!

I'm sure this is part of the motivation of the people involved.

My father had wanted to be hauled up in court for non-payment of his council tax, but the sneaky council people found other ways to get their money.

[FirstMove]

As the OAPs haven't actually paid yet and their legal costs are rising rapidly, they'll eventually have their homes sold to recover their debts. They'll all look rather silly then. :)

[stewart38]

Glad to see the spirit of Daily Mail is alive and well and dwelleth in the Forum.

And long may it do so :yeah:

Next thread has to be the 'no coo area' !! (if dont know what thats about you havent lived)

[David Bailey]

When I first saw the thread title I thought "Ooh - a poll! 'Jailing of OAPs: is there enough of this going on or not?' ". But no such luck :whistle:


Should OAPs or anyone go to jail because they don’t pay their full council tax ??
On the OAP thing, as has been argued in another thread (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6491), age should not be discriminated against. After 18, you're a full citizen until you die, and you have the same legal rights and responsibilities at 90 as you do at 20.

On the "anyone" thing - that's the rules we live in. The state forces you to pay it money by threatening you, ultimately, with violence if you don't do what it wants. And as citizens, this implicit contract is accepted by everyone. Or, as P J O' Rourke memorably put it, "Would you shoot your mother to pay for this entitlement?"

We don't get a choice about which taxes we do and don't pay. At least, not unless we have good accountants.


Help the Aged has warned again and again that Council Tax in its present form is deeply unfair and regressive.
No disagreement there. As was the Poll Tax, as is the TV licence fee, and for that matter the Ceroc entrance fee tax. But so what - that's why we have a democracy, so we can vote out these scuzzballs every now and again (admittedly, to be replaced by equally scuzzy people, but at least they're new).

This is just an extreme form of protest, and is done purely for the publicity.


Part of me think if their in jail their less likely to create miles of traffic by driving 30mph miles an hour in a 70mph zone
:rofl:


The other part thinks

You shouldn’t be jailing OAP when real muggers get of scot-free
Yeah, those real muggers, they're even more annoying than the imitations.


it would make far more sense to me to "punish" non-payers of council tax, whatever their age, with a community service order.
Makes sense to me - let them pay off their debt with honest work, I wanna see these octagenarian chain-gangs NOW.

[stewart38]

[QUOTE]

On the OAP thing, as has been argued in another thread (http://www.cerocscotland.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6491), age should not be discriminated against. After 18, you're a full citizen until you die, and you have the same legal rights and responsibilities at 90 as you do at 20.

[QUOTE]

Not true
cant stand as MP at 20

Im sure there is others

[El Salsero Gringo]

Or, as P J O' Rourke memorably put it, "Would you shoot your mother to pay for this entitlement?"Didn't he write for the Rolling Stones? Anyway, sounds like a cool guy - must look him up.

[David Bailey]

Didn't he write for the Rolling Stones?
Bering dumb, I can't decide whether that's a cleverly ironic comment or not. I'll assume not.

Anyway, he is a cool guy - the Michael Moore of the American Right, but with much more style. Even after doing the British Airways adverts.

"Republican Party Reptile" is just classic - especially the article about going on a road trip across the States in a Ferrari with his boss. The man can write. :worthy: