Do you claim a 25 per cent discount? 06 08 15 | Latest news

 

Checks on council tax payers claiming the 25 per cent single resident discount are due to start soon. 

Arun District Council is working with credit reference agency Experian to carry out these checks.

Councils award a 25 per cent discount to those residents who live by themselves. Currently, 24,000 people living in the Arun district claim the discount. More than £200,000 was recouped two years ago when a similar exercise was carried out, which resulted in 500 discounts being cancelled. 

Cllr Dudley Wensley, Corporate Governance Cabinet Member at Arun District Council, said: “We are keen to make sure people who genuinely live alone are claiming and receiving the proper discount as we want to ensure no one is unnecessarily struggling to pay their council tax bill. 

“However, people who claim a discount that they are not entitled to are cheating the system and placing an unfair burden on those residents who are paying their full council tax liability, particularly those honest residents  who maybe struggling to do so.

“With advances in technology it is far easier and more efficient to check on the levels of discount in this way rather than simply send out letters to all cases.”

The Council is keen to encourage people who are incorrectly claiming the single resident discount to let the Council know when they stopped living by themselves, before the review begins.

To contact a member of the council tax team phone 01903 737752 or email revenues.benefits@arun.gov.uk. For more information about council tax please visit http://www.arun.gov.uk/counciltax