THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS OF MY LETTER WERE PUBLISHED IN THE GUARDIAN YESTERDAY 24/9/2013,

BUT A CRUCIAL LAST PARAGRAPH ABOUT THE COUNCIL TAX WAS CUT.

Your leader today substantially understates the comparison between the Bedroom Tax with the Poll Tax. There were no caps and cuts under the poll tax; benefits were increased to pay it. Last year the coalition proceeded, despite authoritative warnings in Parliament, to pass a series of Acts which deliberately impose unmanageable debts on poverty incomes. The debts lead to individual and family ill health, eviction, temporary and overcrowded accommodation and damage children's education.

It is not only the bedroom tax (Half of bedroom tax families ‘now in debt’), which is creating these increased costs to the taxpayer in the NHS, schools and wider economy. The £500 overall benefit is cap forcing mothers to pay rent out of the children’s benefits, with the 1% freeze on benefit increases for three years, while the prices of necessities escalate.......

Rev Paul Nicolson
Taxpayers Against Poverty

THE TRUE COMPARISON WITH THE POLL TAX IS WITH THE NEW LOCALISED COUNCIL TAX; THAT IS THE "NEW POLL TAX".

IN THE 1990s BENEFITS WERE TAXED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES AT 20% OF THE POLL TAX. THE BENEFITS BEING TAXED HAD BEEN INCREASED BY CENTRAL GOVERNMENT TO ENABLE BENEFIT CLAIMANTS TO PAY IT. IT WAS STILL A DISASTER.

NOW BENEFITS ARE TAXED BY LOCAL AUTHORITIES AT 8.5% to 30% OF THE COUNCIL TAX. THIS TIME THE BENEFITS BEING TAXED HAVE BEEN REDUCED BY CENTRAL GOVERNMENT WITH CUTS AND CAPS.

THE GUARDIAN LEFT OUT

,....... and then the council tax, on top of it all.

Last year the Haringey Magistrates issued 17,200 liability orders to Haringey Council at £125 each to be paid on top of arrears allowing the bailiffs to be sent out to 9048 households adding up or over £400 each for enforcement; last year benefits were not capped, cut or taxed.

Tens of thousands of liability orders are now being issued en-block by the Magistrates throughout the UK.